Gwinnett Police Helicopter Crashes After Chase

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Two Gwinnett County Police officers were injured Friday when a department helicopter they'd been using to help chase a suspect crashed in Lawrenceville.

The copter crashed at about 10:58 a.m. Friday at Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville, according to a department spokesman. The two officers, who were the only people on board, were transported to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, according to police Detective David Smith.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Smith said.

Witnesses from Briscoe Field's control tower called 911 and reported the crash. The helicopter had been helping uniform patrol officers involved with a chase with a wanted suspect when weather conditions made it too hard to continue, Smith said.

He said the first officer onboard was able to get out of the helicopter on his own. The second officer was trapped and had to be extricated by Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services.

Federal Aviation Administration officials have been dispatched from Atlanta to investigate the cause of the crash, Smith said. The Gwinnett County Police Department has two helicopters in its fleet.

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File photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch