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The pilot of a small private plane who threatened Saturday morning to crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, Miss., will be charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats, authorities said.

Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said the pilot, Cory Patterson, could also face federal charges as authorities investigate the erratic, hours-long flight that caused panic in the region and set off a wide-ranging response from emergency officials.

It was not immediately clear whether Patterson had retained an attorney. Calls to several numbers associated with him in public records went to disconnected lines.

Quaka, speaking at a news conference, said Patterson stole a twin-engine plane from Tupelo Regional Airport around 5 a.m. Saturday, then called 911 and told the dispatcher he was going to crash it into a Walmart near the city’s downtown. He said Patterson worked at Tupelo Aviation, fueling aircraft. Patterson had some flight experience, according to Quaka, but did not appear to be a licensed pilot.

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Negotiators eventually made contact with Patterson and convinced him not to carry out the threat, Quaka said. A private pilot tried to help him land, but Patterson aborted the landing at the last moment and turned the plane northwest, in the direction of Memphis.

After circling for hours, with the plane running low on fuel, Patterson posted an apology message from his Facebook account.

“Sorry everyone. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone,” it read. “I love my parents and sister this isn’t your fault. Goodbye.” The account, which Quaka confirmed was Patterson’s, has since been deactivated.

Shortly after posting to Facebook, Patterson landed the plane in a crop field outside Ripley, Miss. Deputies from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody. The sheriff’s office said he was uninjured and did not resist when being detained. No other people were injured.

Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan called Patterson’s landing and arrest a “best-case scenario.” He said in Saturday’s news conference that after the initial threat was resolved he did not believe Patterson intended to hurt himself or others.

“He will get the help he needs as far as whatever he’s dealing with,” Jordan said.

Quaka said authorities had not identified a motive.

“That is going to take some time to determine,” he said. “We will run down the motivation. we will pursue any angle and avenue that there is.”

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Patterson’s arrest capped several tense hours during which emergency managers scrambled to track the plane as it made erratic turns around the northern part of the state. Businesses were evacuated. Busy streets were shut down. People were told to stay alert.

“Thankful the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) tweeted. “Thank you most of all to local, state, and federal law enforcement who managed this situation with extreme professionalism.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Beechcraft King Air 90, a model that has a range of less than 1,000 miles and seats about six passengers. The agency said aviation officials were investigating with local law enforcement.

The Tupelo Police Department said it received reports about 5 a.m. that the plane was flying over Tupelo and that the pilot was “threatening to intentionally crash into Wal Mart on West Main.”

Police said they had spoken with the pilot directly. Officers evacuated the Walmart and a nearby gas station, and tried to keep people out of the area.

Flight tracking data showed the plane made numerous sweeps over the area around Tupelo Regional Airport before turning and flying toward Memphis. By midmorning, it was about 50 miles northwest of Tupelo, where it circled near Holly Springs National Forest in northern Mississippi.

Reeves told people at the time to remain “alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.”

Records show the plane was last registered to Southeast Aviation, a company in Oxford. On Aug. 26, it made a round-trip flight from Tupelo to Garden City Regional Airport in southwestern Kansas.

The Walmart that was the target of the threats is in a shopping center near the city’s downtown, close to retail stores, gas stations and single-family homes. An elementary school is about two blocks away.

Walmart spokesperson Charles Crowson said before the landing that the store was closed and evacuated early Saturday. “We’re working closely with local investigators and are referring questions to law enforcement,” he said.

Videos from social media users in the area showed a low-flying plane banking over a neighborhood Saturday morning.

“Not sure what’s going on,” one user wrote, “but this plane has been flying in circles for 45 minutes around Tupelo.”

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