Crime & Safety
East County Teen Suspected of Shooting Flare at Sheriff's Helicopter
An El Cajon boy finds himself in Juvenile Hall under suspicion of shooting at an occupied aircraft.
A helicopter flying near Thursday afternoon encountered a flare near the aircraft and authorities followed the smoke trail to a 17-year-old boy, who is now in Juvenile Hall under suspicion of shooting at an occupied aircraft.
The flare exploded about 30 feet from the helicopter, which was over El Cajon at the time, according to Lt. J.D. Arvan.
"Fortunately, the flare did not impact the helicopter, but (it) could have caused a fire on the or entered the cockpit and incapacitated the pilot,'' the lieutenant said.
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The incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
The helicopter crew followed the smoke from the flare to the suspect on the ground and reported it to El Cajon Police. The teen fled to a nearby apartment complex, but was later found, the flare gun was recovered and he was .
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City News Service contributed to this report.
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