MEXICO CITY — A U.S. man hijacked a small plane in Belize on Thursday, stabbing two passengers and a pilot, before one of the stabbed passengers fatally shot him, officials in Belize and the United States said. The plane then landed safely.

The Tripoc Air plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, and was flying from Corozal, a small town near Belize’s border with Mexico, heading to the popular tourist destination of San Pedro when it was hijacked.

The plane circled in random directions for nearly two hours as the drama unfolded in the skies. The plane was tailed by a police helicopter before touching down at an airport in the coastal town of Ladyville.

Belize authorities declared a full emergency immediately after the incident started, around 8:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement by the Belize Airport Concession Company.

Chester Williams, Belize police commissioner, identified the hijacker as Akinyela Taylor and said he was a U.S. military veteran. U.S. officials could not confirm the Belize police commissioner’s statement.

— The Associated Press