Chief John Quaka of Tupelo Police Department Gives a Chronological Breakdown of What Happened with Stolen Plane

QUAKA Hey good afternoon ░░░░░░░░ m John Quaka with ░░░░░░░░ Tupelo Police Department I ░░░░░░░░ for you today a ░░░░░░░░ bullet point chronological list ░░░░░░░░ events of what we ░░░░░░░░ to this point It ░░░░░░░░ an ongoing investigation and ░░░░░░░░ will learn more later ░░░░░░░░ another day At 5 ░░░░░░░░ A M this morning ░░░░░░░░ Wayne Patterson stole a ░░░░░░░░ King Air C90 twin ░░░░░░░░ aircraft and took off ░░░░░░░░ the Tupelo airport today ░░░░░░░░ do know Patterson has ░░░░░░░░ flight instructions We do ░░░░░░░░ believe he is a ░░░░░░░░ pilot That is still ░░░░░░░░ to discover that He ░░░░░░░░ an employee of Tupelo ░░░░░░░░ and has been for ░░░░░░░░ years so he has ░░░░░░░░ to these aircraft He ░░░░░░░░ a lineman for Tupelo ░░░░░░░░ which means he fuels ░░░░░░░░ aircraft We do know ░░░░░░░░ that aircraft was fully ░░░░░░░░ the night before At ░░░░░░░░ 5 23 A M ░░░░░░░░ from the aircraft calls ░░░░░░░░ County 911 to tell ░░░░░░░░ that he is going ░░░░░░░░ crash this aircraft into ░░░░░░░░ West Main Walmart in ░░░░░░░░ Mississippi Soon thereafter the ░░░░░░░░ police department and fire ░░░░░░░░ evacuated West Main Walmart ░░░░░░░░ Tupelo and all the ░░░░░░░░ areas We were assisted ░░░░░░░░ Lee County S O ░░░░░░░░ major streets in Tupelo ░░░░░░░░ shut down to help ░░░░░░░░ lives during this critical ░░░░░░░░ Negotiators from Tupelo Police ░░░░░░░░ made contact with the ░░░░░░░░ and were able to ░░░░░░░░ him to not carry ░░░░░░░░ this deed and to ░░░░░░░░ the aircraft at Tupelo ░░░░░░░░ The pilot did not ░░░░░░░░ the experience to land ░░░░░░░░ aircraft A private pilot ░░░░░░░░ us in helping this ░░░░░░░░ complete this however it ░░░░░░░░ not completed Upon final ░░░░░░░░ the pilot aborted the ░░░░░░░░ and traveling to North ░░░░░░░░ direction away from Tupelo ░░░░░░░░ union Tippah in Benton ░░░░░░░░ At this time we ░░░░░░░░ all of those counties ░░░░░░░░ their sheriff to notify ░░░░░░░░ of this incident going ░░░░░░░░ At approximately 9 32 ░░░░░░░░ pilot posted on Facebook ░░░░░░░░ message and in essence ░░░░░░░░ said goodbye At this ░░░░░░░░ we know he was ░░░░░░░░ close to running out ░░░░░░░░ fuel At 10 08 ░░░░░░░░ M FAA lost radar ░░░░░░░░ with the aircraft At ░░░░░░░░ 12 A M our ░░░░░░░░ reestablished contact with the ░░░░░░░░ The pilot confirmed he ░░░░░░░░ landed in a field ░░░░░░░░ he was uninjured We ░░░░░░░░ since learned they landed ░░░░░░░░ the Gravestown Fire Department ░░░░░░░░ Highway four West in ░░░░░░░░ Ashland and Ripley Soon ░░░░░░░░ the pilot was taken ░░░░░░░░ custody and is in ░░░░░░░░ currently He has been ░░░░░░░░ with grand larceny and ░░░░░░░░ terroristic threats We do ░░░░░░░░ that the federal government ░░░░░░░░ proceed with federal charges ░░░░░░░░ the very near future ░░░░░░░░ is the end of ░░░░░░░░ bullet point outline Does ░░░░░░░░ have any questions Yes ░░░░░░░░ MALE So my big ░░░░░░░░ is how much flight ░░░░░░░░ he s had QUAKA ░░░░░░░░ is undetermined at this ░░░░░░░░ We do know he ░░░░░░░░ had flight instructions We ░░░░░░░░ know that UNIDENTIFIED MALE ░░░░░░░░ during the or during ░░░░░░░░ incident did he have ░░░░░░░░ with family QUAKA Yes ░░░░░░░░ did have contact with ░░░░░░░░ UNIDENTIFIED MALE How much ░░░░░░░░ and how much do ░░░░░░░░ know QUAKA I don ░░░░░░░░ know how much contact ░░░░░░░░ this time but we ░░░░░░░░ know he was in ░░░░░░░░ at some point with ░░░░░░░░ members UNIDENTIFIED MALE So ░░░░░░░░ biggest question is what ░░░░░░░░ his motive QUAKA That ░░░░░░░░ going to take some ░░░░░░░░ to determine Those are ░░░░░░░░ the last thing we ░░░░░░░░ in an investigation so ░░░░░░░░ will take several days ░░░░░░░░ will run down the ░░░░░░░░ We will pursue any ░░░░░░░░ and avenue that there ░░░░░░░░ And we will work ░░░░░░░░ conjunction with the FBI ░░░░░░░░ do so UNIDENTIFIED MALE ░░░░░░░░ you been in contact ░░░░░░░░ the family of this ░░░░░░░░ QUAKA Yes I have ░░░░░░░░ MALE What are they ░░░░░░░░ QUAKA Well they re ░░░░░░░░ concerned about the well ░░░░░░░░ of their of their ░░░░░░░░ member like any of ░░░░░░░░ would be Yes UNIDENTIFIED ░░░░░░░░ And will he be ░░░░░░░░ back here QUAKA He ░░░░░░░░ currently in route here ░░░░░░░░ we speak yes to ░░░░░░░░ our charges UNIDENTIFIED MALE ░░░░░░░░ close did he get ░░░░░░░░ I know he said ░░░░░░░░ was a plan was ░░░░░░░░ place to try and ░░░░░░░░ him on the ground ░░░░░░░░ then he had more ░░░░░░░░ that Just how close ░░░░░░░░ he actually get to ░░░░░░░░ at the Tupelo Airport ░░░░░░░░ So he made an ░░░░░░░░ coming out of the ░░░░░░░░ He had lined up ░░░░░░░░ aircraft and we guesstimate ░░░░░░░░ was probably 100 feet ░░░░░░░░ the runway before he ░░░░░░░░ up UNIDENTIFIED MALE Do ░░░░░░░░ have any idea of ░░░░░░░░ he abandoned that plan ░░░░░░░░ Not at this time ░░░░░░░░ we will learn those ░░░░░░░░ the coming days of ░░░░░░░░ investigation UNIDENTIFIED MALE Was ░░░░░░░░ any damage to the ░░░░░░░░ QUAKA Oh absolutely There ░░░░░░░░ damage But believe it ░░░░░░░░ not the aircraft is ░░░░░░░░ UNIDENTIFIED MALE Did he ░░░░░░░░ out of fuel or ░░░░░░░░ close to that when ░░░░░░░░ s heading to the ░░░░░░░░ QUAKA We have reason ░░░░░░░░ believe that he was ░░░░░░░░ close to running out ░░░░░░░░ fuel And that s ░░░░░░░░ to expert pilots UNIDENTIFIED ░░░░░░░░ Was there anyone in ░░░░░░░░ tower when he took ░░░░░░░░ this morning QUAKA So ░░░░░░░░ tower is manned from ░░░░░░░░ A M to 10 ░░░░░░░░ M so no There ░░░░░░░░ no there was no ░░░░░░░░ in the tower Yes ░░░░░░░░ MALE How did he ░░░░░░░░ access to the plane ░░░░░░░░ So he is an ░░░░░░░░ of Tupelo aviation That ░░░░░░░░ located at the airport ░░░░░░░░ he has access to ░░░░░░░░ That s his job ░░░░░░░░ MALE So you wouldn ░░░░░░░░ describe this as a ░░░░░░░░ security breach but just ░░░░░░░░ took advantage of the ░░░░░░░░ of that QUAKA That ░░░░░░░░ right SIDNER Press conference ░░░░░░░░ now We have just ░░░░░░░░ a ton of new ░░░░░░░░ we have just gotten ░░░░░░░░ ton of new information ░░░░░░░░ police and the mayor ░░░░░░░░ in Tupelo Mississippi where ░░░░░░░░ we now know someone ░░░░░░░░ has been trained to ░░░░░░░░ but doesn t necessarily ░░░░░░░░ his pilot license but ░░░░░░░░ did have some flight ░░░░░░░░ was able to steal ░░░░░░░░ plane threatened to crash ░░░░░░░░ into a Walmart He ░░░░░░░░ able to abort that ░░░░░░░░ with the help of ░░░░░░░░ talking him down out ░░░░░░░░ it and ended up ░░░░░░░░ landing his plane into ░░░░░░░░ field.”