A pilot, flying in circles, has been “threatening to intentionally crash into Walmart” on West Main in Tupelo, a city in northeast Mississippi in the United states, as police evacuate the stores, said a release from the police department.

Police have also been able to begin talking with the pilot directly, it said, but gave no information on the pilot’s identity or motive.

The pilot is reported to have stolen the small aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 90, from Tupelo Airport. It is a nine-seater with two engines.

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

The Tupelo Police Department is asking the people to disperse. All emergency services have been put on alert, it said.

A map from the FlightAware website showed what appeared to be the plane’s course – an erratic, zigzag pattern centered around Tupelo, a city of about 40,000.

“State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely tracking this dangerous situation,” Governor Tate Reeves said.