Air Ambulances Refuse to Land at Oregon Hospital After Laser Attack Threats
Several air ambulance providers, airlifting patients to the Oregon Health & Science University on Saturday night, refused to land on the hospital’s rooftop following threats of laser attacks.
Anarchist Counter-Info Platform Called for Laser Tag Event
A furor was caused when a ‘laser-tag’ event was advertised online by Rose City Counter-Info, a self-described ‘anarchist counter-info platform.’ The call was made to shine lasers into the sky to disrupt federal helicopters flying over South Portland, the area where the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center is located.
The threats were met with safety concerns for airlifted patients by air ambulance vendors, who decided to reroute patients to local airports, from where they were transferred to ambulances for road transportation to OHSU.
The process added 45 to 60 minutes to the admittance procedure, and was described as possibly harmful for patients suffering from sensitive issues such as strokes.
Pointing Lasers at Aircraft is a Federal and State Offense
In the wake of public concern, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) confirmed that pointing lasers at aircraft is prohibited under federal and state law as it can endanger pilots and people on the ground. The PPB confirmed that it regularly arrests individuals who target aircraft with lasers.
See also: FBI Arrests Four Illegal Immigrants Accused of Pointing Laser at Federal Helicopter Over Portland
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported on September 30 that four Mexican nationals living in the U.S. illegally were arrested in Portland after allegedly shining a laser at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter, endangering both the crew and people on the ground.
Reinforcing its presence in Portland, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited the ICE detention center in South Portland last week and joined officers in prayer.
Against this backdrop, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek met with Noem and reiterated the expectation that the DHS and ICE will comply with state law. Kotek remains resolute in her statement that there is ‘no insurrection’ in the state, and that local law enforcement can cope with the situation.
Kotek is one of several Democratic governors who are unhappy about the Trump administration’s expanded federal immigration enforcement operations.