Tupelo: A pilot of a small airplane circling over Tupelo, Mississippi has threatened to crash the aircraft into a Walmart store, the police said on Saturday.

Tupelo Police Department, on their official Facebook page, said they were notified at “approximately 05:00 am” of the pilot flying over Tupelo and the Walmart. They shared that the pilot did threaten “to intentionally crash into Walmart on West Main and confirmed that they worked with the store to “evacuate” and “disperse people as much as practical.”

The police department also said they’ve been “talking with the pilot directly” and that the situation is “ongoing.” They advise residents to avoid the area until an all clear has been issued.

“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given,” the police wrote. “With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.”

Social media users shared the video footage of the plane on Twitter, with one person noting that the plane had been “been flying in circles for 45 minutes around Tupelo.”

@BronsonWTVA not sure what's going on, but this plane has been flying in circles for 45 minutes around Tupelo. pic.twitter.com/agE5MpWPt1

— Nick Nichols (@Nickfivecents) September 3, 2022