Man found guilty of firing rifle at LAPD helicopter

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.

- JAMES QUEALLY AND LIBOR JANY

OFFICIALS said the shot fired at the police helicopter had the potential to cause a catastrophic crash.

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 in 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 on suspicion of 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.