An airline pilot threatened to crash the plane he was flying “threatening to intentionally crash into Walmart” on West Man in the United States’ Mississippi, police said. The Tupelo police are evacuating stores and asking people to disperse. All emergency services have been put on alert. 

“At this time the situation is ongoing with TPD and all Emergency Services in our area on alert. With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo,” according to a police release. 

It was the pilot who made first contact with law enforcement when he dialed 911 at around 5 am local time. It is unclear for how long the flight has been in air. 

The Walmart which the pilot, who has since been identified as Corry Patterson of Shannon, Mississippi, had threatened to attacked has been evacuated. The Tupelo Walmart store is “currently closed and evacuated,” said Charles Crowson, director of Walmart Press Office, told CNN. 

“We are working closely with local investigators and are referring questions to law enforcement,” said Crawson. 

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is aware of the situation and is coordinating with local law enforcement, in an email to CNN. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Jackson, Mississippi has been called in to respond to the situation. 

From information available so far, the man flying the plane is Corry Patterson. Patterson is from Shannon, Mississippi and reportedly graduated from Tupelo High School in 2011. Patterson is believed to be 29 years old. 

A few hours ago, he is said to have written a post on Facebook where he says: “Sorry everyone. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. I love my parents and sister this isn’t your fault.” There is speculation on social media that Patterson was an airline employee who stole the plane and has been flying it around.

The plane has now come down. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeted: “The plane over North MS is down. Thankful the situation has been resolved and no one was injured. Thank you most of all to local, state and federal law enforcement who managed this situation with extreme professionalism.”