Police charge three over $2.2 million helicopter attack

Three men were indicted for allegedly damaging an emergency helicopter. / Screen capture from Yonhap News Agency

By Lee Jin-a

Three drunken men ― including a doctor ― who allegedly damaged an air ambulance helicopter last month have been nabbed after a month-long police manhunt.

They face multiple charges, including destroying a medical device for emergency patients and unauthorized access to the helicopter that landed in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. They will also have to pay 2.5 billion won ($2.2 million) spent repairing the helicopter.

Cheonan Dongnam Police Station said Sunday the three men ― two in their 30s and the other in his 40s ― were indicted for damaging the helicopter by climbing onto its top and forcibly moving its tail rotor. The incident happened at the heliport at Dankook University Hospital around 10 p.m. on Aug 11. One of them was a medical doctor and the others salaried men, police said.

"We were drunk so much that we didn't recognize it as a helicopter," a suspect said. Following the incident, UI Helijet, the helicopter's operating company, assessed the damage at around 2.5 billion won. The aircraft will be repaired with money from an insurance company, which will sue the three men.

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