A Mississippi man, Cory Patterson, who stole a jet from the Tupelo airport and threatened to fly into a local Walmart before landing safely in a field hours later has been identified.
Cory Patterson was arrested after reportedly stealing a small plane
The rogue employee eventually landed in a field after five hours of flying over Tupelo, Mississippi, and came near to running out of gasoline. Law enforcement officials told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that the suspect had been identified as Cory Patterson. Police have not yet confirmed the suspect’s identity publicly.
Under a post on a Facebook account in Patterson’s name, the worker appeared to send a disturbing goodbye note to his family.
The message – which has since been deleted by Facebook – read: ‘Sorry everyone. Never genuinely wanted to injure anyone. I adore my parents and sister this isn’t your fault. Goodbye.’
Benton County Sheriff’s Office verified that the jet had landed safely and a suspect had been brought into custody. The jet, described as a Beechcraft King Air 90, had started circling over Tupelo, Mississippi, about 5am and was in the air for more than five hours.
The flight path was shown to be erratic above Tupelo
But the worker was then seen headed north circling about Ripley Airport. The tank only stores five hours of fuel and authorities believe the plane was dangerously close to running out. The worker from the Tupelo Regional Airport was confirmed by sources from the Daily Journal.
The authorities reported that the worker had threatened to purposely smash into the Walmart in Tupelo. A Twitter user tweeted a video of the plane, writing: “Currently we have a 29yr old who stole this plane & is threatening to crash it into anything.”
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The user also reported police, ambulances, and fire vehicles were everywhere. The Walmart, an adjacent Dodge auto dealership, and entire communities were reportedly evacuated in Tupelo. A Twitter user said: “My parents’ area is being evacuated.” A representative for Walmart said: “The store is currently shuttered and evacuated.”
“We’re working closely with local investigations and are sending questions to law enforcement.” Governor Tate Reeves published a statement on Twitter: “State law enforcement and emergency managers are actively watching this perilous situation. ” All folks should be on alert and informed of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.” The officials encouraged people to avoid the area until the all clear was given.
On Cory Patterson’s parents, there is currently no information known.
Cory Patterson’s career, what is his profession?
An airport worker stole a plane and threatened to crash into a Walmart in Mississippi. The rogue employee eventually landed in a field after five hours of flying. Law enforcement sources told local media that the suspect has been identified as Cory Patterson.
