Woodland Hills : Charges Filed Against Helicopter Pilot

Criminal charges were filed Wednesday against a Westwood pilot accused of flying a helicopter 150 to 200 feet above a Woodland Hills neighborhood when actor Alec Baldwin was being arrested for allegedly attacking a news cameraman, according to City Atty. James K. Hahn.

Patrick Heidenreich, 26, is charged with one count each of reckless flying and flying too low in connection with the Oct. 26 incident.

Heidenreich, employed by Loom-Up News Service, faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count.

Police said the helicopter pilot was in the area during Baldwin’s arrest for allegedly attacking Altadena freelance photographer Alan Zanger, 51. Baldwin was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery.

Officers from the LAPD Air Support Division alleged that low altitude and other factors would have made it impossible for Heidenreich to land safely in the tree-lined residential neighborhood in case of an in-flight emergency, according to Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek, who is handling the case.

The skirmish between the 37-year-old actor and well-known paparazzo Zanger ensued when the photographer attempted to photograph Baldwin, his wife, actress Kim Basinger, and their newborn daughter as they returned home from the hospital.

Baldwin, the star of “The Hunt for Red October” and “Malice,” allegedly sprayed the windows of Zanger’s truck with shaving cream and slugged him when he exited the truck.

Baldwin faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

Both Baldwin and Heidenreich are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Van Nuys Municipal Court.