FOG BLOG U.S. NEWS LOG: MAN THREATENS TO CRASH PLANE INTO WALMART , LANDS PLANE , THEN ARRESTED!

Pilot arrested after threatening to crash plane into Mississippi Walmart and eventually landing in a field, police say A worker at an airport who stole a twin-engine plane Saturday morning and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart was arrested after he eventually landed in a field, police said.

In a news conference Saturday, Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka identified the arrested pilot as Cory Wayne Patterson, an employee with Tupelo Aviation for the past 10 years.

Quaka said that at 5:08 a.m. local time, Patterson, of Shannon, Mississippi, stole a Beechcraft King Air C90 twin engine aircraft and took off from Tupelo Regional Airport.

"We do know Patterson has some flight instruction," Quaka said. "We do not believe he is a licensed pilot. That is still ongoing, to discover that."

As a lineman, Quaka said, Patterson is responsible for fueling aircraft. The chief said the plane was fully fueled the night before.

Around 5:23 a.m., Patterson called Lee County 911 from the aircraft and said he was going to crash the plane into the West Main Walmart in Tupelo, Quaka said. Soon thereafter, the store and surrounding areas were evacuated. Numerous major streets in Tupelo were shut down as well, according to the chief.