/Houston police helicopter crashes into apartment complex

Houston police helicopter crashes into apartment complex

Two officers are in critical condition.

Two Houston police officers were transported to a hospital in critical condition early Saturday morning after one of the department’s helicopters crashed into an apartment complex.

The crash happened around 2:04 a.m. in the 17000 block of Imperial Valley as the chopper was on a call over a report of bodies in a bayou, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

Within minutes of taking the call to search for the reported bodies, the chopper went down.

The pilot and the tactical flight officer were trapped “for an extended period of time” and had to be cut out by other emergency personnel. After being rescued, the two were life-flighted on separate flights to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Acevedo asked for prayers for the officers and their families and also took the time to note it was a “miracle” not more people were hurt during the crash.

He said the helicopter landed in an apartment complex, but somehow the pilot avoided all residential buildings and only clipped the clubhouse as it fell to the ground.

“How that pilot was able to avoid the apartment building where the residents were sleeping, there’s some silver linings tonight,” Acevedo said while addressing the media Saturday morning. “It’s a miracle and we just want this miracle to continue.”

“Had they crashed into the building itself, it would’ve been without a doubt fatal,” he said.

There was no indication of a mayday call, Acevedo said, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the cause of the crash.

The injured officers’ names will be released once extended families are notified, authorities said.

At about 3 a.m., while officers were working the scene of the crash Saturday, shots rang out across the street from the apartment complex. Acevedo said three suspects have been taken into custody.

The shots fired and the crash appear to be unrelated, officials said.

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