Rocks Thrown at Border Patrol Chopper
Aug 25 3:31 PM US/Eastern

YUMA, Ariz.

Illegal immigrants threw rocks at a Border Patrol helicopter,
forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing when one of the rocks
damaged the rotor, the agency said.

Neither the pilot nor the Border Patrol observer was injured.

The A-Star helicopter was two miles west of the U.S. Port of
Entry in Andrade, Calif., on Tuesday when a group of immigrants
began throwing rocks at the aircraft.

One baseball-sized rock gashed the rotor, forcing the pilot to
land nearby, said Michael Gramley, spokesman for the Border
Patrol sector based in Yuma, Ariz.

Gramley said he did not know how high the helicopter was
hovering when it was struck, but he said it was being repaired
and is expected back in service soon.

After the incident, 17 people were apprehended for illegally
crossing the border, and two of them were being investigated for
smuggling. Ten immigrants evaded capture.

The investigation into the rock-throwing was continuing.
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Perhaps we should arm the copter with machine guns and fire back?


KM