According to the New York Post, Fox News and other US media reported on September 3 local time, a man in Tupelo, Mississippi, the United States, drove a stolen plane to the sky that day, and threatened the police that he would hit a local Walmart supermarket.
Police contacted the man and successfully persuaded him to abandon plans to hit Walmart. The man landed in a field after the plane ran out of fuel and was immediately arrested by police. Local police charged the man with major theft and terror threats and said the federal government could file further charges against him.
The man involved, Corey Patterson, Source: Patterson Facebook
The man, Cory Patterson, is 29 years old. Patterson worked as a Lineman at Tupelo City Airport for 10 years, directing and refueling airplanes, and he often had access to airplanes when he was working.
At around 5 a.m. on September 3, Patterson took advantage of the unattended tower at Tupelo Airport to steal a fuel-filled Beechcraft King Air C90 twin-engine aircraft. He successfully flew the plane into the sky, then dialed 911 and threatened police with hitting a Walmart supermarket on west Main Street in the city.
The Tupelo City Police Department quickly evacuated wal-Mart customers and nearby residents and issued an alert warning the city's citizens of danger.
Patterson pilots an airplane hovering over Tupelo Source: The New York Post
Patterson has since hovered over the city of Tupelo, and police have contacted him, and negotiators have managed to persuade him to abandon his plan to hit a Walmart supermarket.
Shortly after 8 a.m., an airport worker told local media that Patterson had left the area over Tupelo with his plane.
At 9:32, Patterson posted on Facebook as if to confess his last words: "I'm sorry everyone. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I love my parents and sister, it's not your fault. Good bye. ”
Patterson Facebook screenshot
About 30 minutes after posting, Patterson landed in a field a few miles northwest of Ripley Airport in Mississippi because the plane ran out of fuel, nearly five hours after he stole the plane.
Patterson was subsequently arrested and detained by local police.
At a news conference that day, John Quaka, the chief of police in Tupelo, said Patterson had only received some flight instructions, that he had no flying license, no flying experience, and did not know how to land the plane.
"The City of Tupelo Police Negotiators got in touch with the pilot and succeeded in convincing him not to do so (hitting Walmart) and also persuading him to land the plane at Tupelo Airport." Queka said.
But Patterson's aircraft was not well piloted, and he failed to land at Tupelo airport before flying northwest. Eventually, after running out of fuel, Patterson landed on a field 40 miles (about 64.4 kilometers) away from Tupelo under the guidance of a private pilot.
Patterson pilots a plane and lands on a field Credit: Roxanne Ward, a local resident, Facebook
Patterson's full flight path Source: The New York Post
Queca revealed that the aircraft suffered little damage during landing and did not cause casualties.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also subsequently announced on Twitter: "The situation has been resolved and no one has been injured." He thanked the law enforcement authorities who handled the matter properly.
Patterson has now been arrested and detained by local police, who said police will charge him with major theft and terror threats. In addition, the U.S. federal government may file further lawsuits against it.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI and other departments were involved in the investigation of the case, and Patterson's motives are unclear.
Tupelo Police Chief Queca said at a press conference: "We will do our best to cooperate with the FBI to investigate and find out his motives from all possible angles and avenues." ”
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