An airport worker in Mississippi stole a twin-engine plane early Saturday morning and threatened to crash into a Walmart, police say.
Cory Wayne Patterson was arrested by Tupelo Police after stealing a Beechcraft King Air C90 plane which later landed in a rural field, according to CNN.
An incident allegedly involving a stolen plane and threats against a local Walmart ended in what one official described as the “best-case scenario,” with no injuries and an inexperienced pilot safely landing the plane. https://t.co/KZx3ktDZyM
— ABC News (@ABC) September 3, 2022
“We do know Patterson has some flight instruction,” Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said, reported CNN. ” We do not believe he is a licensed pilot. That is still ongoing, to discover that.”
Patterson called 911 while flying the plane and said he was going to crash the plane into the West Main Walmart in Tupelo, CNN reported. The Walmart and surrounding area were then evacuated.
While in the air, negotiators made contact with Patterson, according to CNN. A pilot tried to assist Patterson’s landing at the Tupelo Regional Airport, but he aborted the landing on final approach. (RELATED: Here Are The Audio Recordings Of The ‘Broken’ Man Who Stole An Alaska Airlines Plane Before Crashing)
Over four hours later, Patterson posted on Facebook, reported CNN. “In essence, it said goodbye. At this point, we knew he was getting close to running out of fuel,” Quaka said.
At one point, police lost radar contact with the plane, CNN reported. Once police re-established contact, Patterson told police he had landed in a field, CNN reported.
Police arrested Patterson and charged him with grand larceny and making terroristic threats.
The Tupelo Police Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller for comment.