Man, 18, Charged With Attempted Murder In Police Helicopter Shooting

VAN NUYS (CBS) — An 18-year-old man accused of shooting a LAPD helicopter was charged Tuesday with two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer and other charges.

Danny Anthony Lopez was expected to be arraigned sometime Tuesday at the Van Nuys Courthouse. He allegedly shot the helicopter early Sunday morning over Saticoy Street and Densmore Avenue, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing.

Lopez is also charged with two counts of assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm and single counts of shooting at an occupied aircraft and carrying a loaded firearm in a street gang.

Police said Lopez was upset over the recent death of a friend, and they credited his relatives for reaching him after the shots were fired and subduing] him.

No one in the helicopter was injured and the crew managed to land safely at nearby Van Nuys Airport, police said.

In the minutes after the chopper was hit, members of the gunman’s family confronted him in the street and tackled him, enabling officers to arrest him around 7:10 a.m. without firing a shot, an LAPD captain said.

The helicopter was hovering over the area in response to a report of shots being fired just before 6 a.m.

Lopez faces up to life in prison if convicted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

One Comment

18 is old enough to know better than to shot a gun at a police helicopter (or at anyone for that matter). Seriously, I’ve known better than to do that since I was born. This is just a person who would had managed to kill someone eventually if he didn’t have any better judgement than this at 18. Seriously. Lock him up forever NOW lest he be out on the streets and eventually kill someone.

Well Not Even Youu Know The Reasons Hee Had ; Youu Have no Idea What Was Going Through his Mind So Best Yet For You Not Too Talk ; His Family Is Going Through A Rough Time As It Is ; && youu People Who Talk Without Knowing Isnt Helping , LOCK HIM UP FOREVER ; Are Youu Shouldnt Talkkk ; Cause Everyone Makes Mistakes Whether There Small Or Not .

SimplieeKisses’s apparent paranoid psychosis is a break with reality that includes extreme fear and anxiety associated with delusions. Paranoia is a common feature of many delusions, especially in cases like persecutory delusions where people become convinced that they are under attack or someone is out to get them.

A number of psychiatric conditions can contribute to the development of paranoid psychosis, and it can also develop in response to neurological disorders, certain medications, and some other causes. There are treatments available to help the patient address the delusions and associated paranoia. Paranoia itself is fear and anxiety at an unreasonable level that may be exaggerated, and is often rooted in something not very believable. Informally, the term is often used to describe quite reasonable cautions, like being alert for police cars while speeding.

In psychiatry, this would not be considered paranoia, but believing that the police were tracking a driver with a device mounted in the vehicle would be. We can only pray for
SimplieeKisses’s full recovery.

Maybe he should be charged with attempted arson too because if he dropped the copter, it likely would have caught on fire. Plus, make sure they charge him with the expenses that would have come from the next time they would have washed and waxed the copter too.

A sentence of three-lifetimes seems appropriate, doesn’t it? He’ll still be out in less than a dozen months no matter what they charge and convict him on. Why that copter pilot was so determined to fly in the path of any bullet is beyond all reasonable rationale, maybe the pilot should be charged with contributory-negligence.

So the family knows he is upset yet they enable him to run around with a semi-automatic weapon? Nice parenting skills.
Only reason the family subdued him was they probably didn’t want to see the Swat Team come in & blow his useless head off! Now he can cash in on 3 meals a day at the tax payers (ca$h cows) expense.
Another wonderfum familia!!

How Do Youu Even Know His Parents New About Any Of This ?
Youu Dont know His Mom Nor His Parents Or His Familieee So Youu Shouldnt Talk Either ; Nice Parenting Skills Dont Judge ; Cause If Youu Were Taught Better Youu Wouldnt Bee Writing Here Critizizing People You Dont Know . His USLESS HEAD OFF ? Like iSaid Youu Dont Know Him .
Apparently Youu Werent Fed Right If Your Talking ABout The Jail Food Cause Hes Gonna Eat There Wow . HOW LOW CAN YOUU BE ?

Maybe he should be charged with attempted arson too because if he dropped the copter, it likely would have caught on fire.

Plus, make sure they charge him with the expenses that would have come from the next time they would have washed and waxed the copter too.

A sentence of three-lifetimes seems appropriate, doesn’t it? He’ll still be out in less than a dozen months no matter what they charge and convict him on. Why that copter pilot was so determined to fly in the path of any bullet is beyond all reasonable rationale, maybe the pilot should be charged with contributory-negligence.

SimplieeKisses’s apparent paranoid psychosis is a break with reality that includes extreme fear and anxiety associated with delusions. Paranoia is a common feature of many delusions, especially in cases like persecutory delusions where people become convinced that they are under attack or someone is out to get them. A number of psychiatric conditions can contribute to the development of paranoid psychosis, and it can also develop in response to neurological disorders, certain medications, and some other causes. There are treatments available to help the patient address the delusions and associated paranoia.

Paranoia itself is fear and anxiety at an unreasonable level that may be exaggerated, and is often rooted in something not very believable. Informally, the term is often used to describe quite reasonable cautions, like being alert for police cars while speeding. In psychiatry, this would not be considered paranoia, but believing that the police were tracking a driver with a device mounted in the vehicle would be. We can only pray for
SimplieeKisses’s full recovery.

Nobody knows what all that 18yr old was going thru, its known that he was dealing with a loved one’s death so who knows what else he might have been going thru both emotionally and/or mentally. I have a loved one that was going thru alot of mental issues due to an ugly breakup and he started doing all sorts of odd and often unsafe actions and because of it he also did something stupid(luckily not as serious) and is currently in prison but is getting the help he needed, and wouldve never gotten if he hadnt gone to prison. So dont be so quick to assume.

Yeahh youu Said It KAREN Youu Dont Go Shooting People Neither Did Heee Did They Say Hee Aimed At A Guy Right Next Too Him No Right !
So Why Are All Youu People On His Casee . Leave It ALonee Let Itt Beee ; That Officer Gave Him Sympathy Something hee Didnt Ask For ; && If It Was Someone in Your Family Who Would Have Done This ; Youu Would Want Sypathy Yourself So Shut Your Mouths && Stop Talking !

Excuses, excuses, etc., etc…..Your type of thinking is exactly what’s wrong with this country. Never accept responsibility for your actions. The fact of the matter is is he had a semi-automatic weapon. Does anyone else see the problem here?

He had better be lucky his family intervened. I wonder about them as well. Was he living in their house with them knowing he possessed firearms of this nature? Maybe the comment by Rick was correct. Maybe not. Regardless, it’s one less criminal off of the streets. Stop making excuses for others.

@Realliee ;
iDont See Why You People Are Over here Talking ; When The Government Isnt Doing Nothing About Rappist ; && Hard Drug Dealers ; && Talking ABOUT A Kid Who Was 18 In Agee But His Maturity Mentally Probably Was Fully Developed ; Youu People Needa Stop Talking ; His Parennts Didnt Know He Possesed A Fire Arm As A Matter A Fact . One Criminal ; Youu Cant Consider him That ; The Day Hee Goes Up To Someone && Shoots The Person On Purposee Cause hE hAS a Reason Then You Guys Can Call Him A Criminal Untill Then Hees A Confused kID whO lOST soMEONE ; Imaging Youu Loosing Somone yoUU lOVED A Girlfriend A Parent Anyone ; youu Wouldnt Stay In Your Room Woulkd yOUU ;

There is NO excuse for shooting a semi-automatic weapon at a helicopter or anyone. NONE. this is the problem with this country, there is no accountabiilty or self-responsibilty. He had a bad childhood. So what? So did a lot of people who don’t shoot guns at people! Lock his ass up and forget he was even born.

Look Kid Boy Man Who Ever Youu Are ; Youu Guys Should Honestly NOT TALK ABOUT PEOPLE YOUU GUYS DONT KNOW ;
People Talking ABout him && His Family Shouldnt Talk Cause Youu Guys Werent Raised Correctly Too Not Talk About People With Out Knowing Facts Youu Guys Go By What Youu Hear && Thats How You Get Your Butts Kicked ; People Who Are Talking About There Family Taking Him ; How Do Youu Guys Not Know They Were Showing there Kid Right Then Instead Of Getting Chased Too Be HONEST ; && Drugs ? COME ON NOW ; Youu Guys Shouldnt Bring That In ; Why Would They “Have druggs in there house ” YOUU PEOPLE REALIE SHOULD GET OFF THE INTERNET ! ITS DAMAGING YOUR BRAIN .

Maybe he should be charged with attempted arson too because if he dropped the copter, it likely would have caught on fire. Plus, make sure they charge him with the expenses that would have come from the next time they would have washed and waxed the copter too. A sentence of three-lifetimes seems appropriate, doesn’t it? He’ll still be out in less than a dozen months no matter what they charge and convict him on. Why that copter pilot was so determined to fly in the path of any bullet is beyond all reasonable rationale, maybe the pilot should be charged with contributory-negligence.

SimplieeKisses’s apparent paranoid psychosis is a break with reality that includes extreme fear and anxiety associated with delusions. Paranoia is a common feature of many delusions, especially in cases like persecutory delusions where people become convinced that they are under attack or someone is out to get them. A number of psychiatric conditions can contribute to the development of paranoid psychosis, and it can also develop in response to neurological disorders, certain medications, and some other causes. There are treatments available to help the patient address the delusions and associated paranoia. Paranoia itself is fear and anxiety at an unreasonable level that may be exaggerated, and is often rooted in something not very believable. Informally, the term is often used to describe quite reasonable cautions, like being alert for police cars while speeding. In psychiatry, this would not be considered paranoia, but believing that the police were tracking a driver with a device mounted in the vehicle would be. We can only pray for
SimplieeKisses’s full recovery.

Ahha Nicee COPY && Paste l Nahh Its Not Like That Its Just iActually Know The Kids Brother Youu Guys ARe Talking ABout ; && hee Doesnt Like This @ All ; So iWould Appreciate If Youu STRANGERS Keep Your Comments to Yourselfs Thank You Very Muchh

And Im Not Paranoid iJust Would Rather Youu People Not Talk ABout My Friends Brother In The Way Youu People Are Like ; CUT HIS HEAD OFF ? SEND HIM TO THE BORDER ? Smart People Here Right ?