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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Man arrested by FBI for attacking LAPD chopper with drone |
| 2020-12-01 |
| I just found this site and it certainly covers the crime news. I'm bookmarking it. [Breaking911] LOS ANGELES — Special agents with the FBI Thursday morning arrested a Hollywood man on a federal charge alleging that he recklessly operated a drone that crashed into a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter. The drone damaged the LAPD aircraft and the pilot was forced to initiate an emergency landing. The drone also damaged a vehicle when the unmanned aircraft fell from the sky after the crash. Andrew Rene Hernandez, 22, was arrested pursuant to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday that charges him with one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. According to the complaint filed in United States District Court, during the early morning hours of September 18, LAPD officers responded to a burglary call at a pharmacy in Hollywood. The responding officers requested air support, and an LAPD helicopter flew toward the scene. As the helicopter approached the pharmacy, the pilot saw the drone and attempted to evade the unmanned aircraft. Despite the evasive efforts, the drone stuck the helicopter, forcing the pilot to initiate an emergency landing. The drone damaged the helicopter’s nose, antenna and bottom cowlings. According to the complaint, "if the drone had struck the helicopter’s main rotor instead of the fuselage, it could have brought the helicopter down." LAPD officers located parts of the drone near the pharmacy and discovered a vehicle damaged by the drone as it fell from the sky. Further investigation, including a review of the drone’s camera and SD card, led to the identification of Hernandez as the drone’s operator. |
| Posted by:M. Murcek |