Man convicted in shooting that had potential to cause LAPD helicopter crash
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A South L.A.man was convicted of firing a rifle round through the tail of a Los Angeles police helicopter last year, in an incident prosecutors said could have caused a catastrophe.
Douglass Byers, 62, was convicted of two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm after a four-day trial, according to L.A.County Deputy Dist.
Atty.Eric Siddall.
He faces up to 43 years in prison at sentencing.Police responded to the 1800 block of West 38th Street last August after multiple 911 callers claimed they heard gunfire coming from the back of a home where Byers lives with his mother.
When officers entered the backyard, they found an AR-15 assault rifle, two Airsoft replica rifles and roughly 18 spent shells, according to a search warrant affidavit.Byers was arrested for negligent discharge of a firearm, authorities said.Hours later, an inspection of a helicopter that responded to the shooting call at Byers’ home revealed a bullet had pierced the tail.
The impact almost caused severe damage to the systems that allow the pilot to control the aircraft, Siddall said.“If that shot had just been a little bit further down, that aircraft would have fallen,” Siddall said during his opening argument.
California Authorities allege that a 23-year-old Sylmar resident shot a man in the street because of simmering frustration over officials not clearing away recreational vehicles in the area.A pilot and tactical officer were on board the aircraft, which was hovering over a densely populated area at the time, Siddall said.Jurors deliberated for a little under an hour before convicting Byers.
The pilot did not notice the shot while in flight, and no one actually saw Byers shooting the weapon.No one was injured in the incident.
Byers, who represented himself at trial, said he had no animus toward law enforcement and that it would be “out of ...