Local News in Brief : Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Helicopter
An out-of-work West Hills man who shot at a Los Angeles police helicopter pleaded guilty Friday to assaulting a peace officer with a firearm.
Roy David Thompson, 47, entered the plea at his preliminary hearing before Van Nuys Municipal Judge Aviva K. Bobb in exchange for assurance from prosecutors that he will receive a maximum sentence of one year in County Jail and be put on probation.
Thompson could have received a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Pargament said.
Police said Thompson fired at least six shots at the helicopter as it flew over his home March 23. The helicopter was summoned by Thompson’s neighbors after Thompson began shooting a gun inside and outside his house in the 7000 block of Semrad Road, Pargament said.
None of the shots hit the helicopter. Officers on the ground arrested Thompson and confiscated a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition, Pargament said.
After his arrest, Thompson told police that he “went off” in frustration because he had been out of work for 10 months. Thompson said he had been drinking before the incident, Pargament said.
Sentencing is scheduled July 1 before Superior Court Judge Alan Haber.
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