Hourly Update

Rocks thrown by immigrants damage Border Patrol helicopter

YUMA - A rock allegedly thrown by an illegal immigrant forced a Border Patrol helicopter to make an emergency landing after a rotor was damaged. The A-Star helicopter was two miles west of the U.S. Port of Entry in Andrade, Calif., on Tuesday when a group of immigrants began throwing rocks at the aircraft. One baseball-sized rock struck a rotor and gashed it, forcing the pilot to land the helicopter nearby, said Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley. Neither the Customs and Border Protection pilot nor the Border Patrol observer were injured. Gramley said he did not know how high the helicopter was hovering when it was struck, but it was being repaired and was expected to be back in service soon. The incident was a first for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector, which covers the section of Arizona between the Pima County line and California. A group of 17 illegal immigrants was apprehended.