KTLA 5 — For the first time on the West Coast, a federal border enforcement helicopter fired warning shots from the air at a boat en route to Catalina Island, bringing an apparent drug smuggling operation to a halt, authorities said Monday.
The shots were fired about 11p.m Saturday from a Blackhawk helicopter operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine using a mounted bolt-action rifle aimed by a crew member, according to a news release from the federal agency.
The crew of a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft on patrol initially saw a panga boat about 24 miles off La Jolla, traveling at a high rate of speed toward Catalina Island. Two interceptor boats and the Blackhawk crew, on patrol near Catalina, responded to a call for help from the Coast Guard C-130.
With backup on the way, the Coast Guard plane remained overhead, spotting large bales being thrown overboard from the panga. When the Blackhawk arrived, the panga refused to yield.
A helicopter crew member fired toward the vessel using a protocol designed to pose “no danger to the boating public,” according to the release.
“After several warning shots were deployed across the bow of the panga, it immediately stopped,” the release stated.
An interceptor boat arrived and three men on the panga were taken into custody, and then turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents for processing.
Additional aircraft helped searched for the bales, which authorities believed containted marijuana. The boat was seized.
The incident marked the first time on the West Coast that warning shots have been deployed from the air, according to Mitch Pribble, director of air operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego. “
“You always want a vessel to stop when they are first directed to do so,” Pribble said in the news release. “However, when a suspected criminal chooses to flee, the ability to fire those warning shots gives us another option that can be used to get them to stop before they become a greater danger to law enforcement personnel, innocent civilians on the water, and themselves.”
I’m sorry, a warning shot. The drug runners all ready know and they have been warn. sink them, kill them and thats the end of that.
All this head and hand patting of criminals from other countries has got to stop.
actually the drug cartels are increasing their production of meth because of the legalization of MJ….so these drug running ops will probably increase to where they were in the 80’s, and because meth has more profit margin and easier to ship…thanks to Obama’s open borders the majority of drug smuggling is getting to there destinations.
Exactly!!!!!
RIGHT YOU ARE!
Forget the warning shots,
make them count!
WHY IS THE GATLIN GUN REMOVED FROM THE BLACK HAWK CHOPPER!! NUTS ON THE SAFTEY OF THE DRUG BASTARDS!
They should have blew those low life invaders the hell out of the water. No more mercy for them. The time for clemency is over. It’s high time we treated these Mexican invaders like the terrorists that they are.
Blow ’em out of the water, to where there’s not even blood left.
Why waste expensive ammo on a warning shot? Those cartel bastards KNOW they are breaking multiple US laws. Just shoot and make it count.
” . . . three men on the panga were taken into custody, and then turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents for processing.” That means they were RELEASED!
BTW – why WARNING shots???? Let’s get real with this border problem!!!