D.C. National Guard to investigate low-flying helicopter maneuver used on protesters

The District of Columbia National Guard has called for an investigation into a low-flying maneuver conducted by one of its helicopters above dozens of protesters in Northwest Washington earlier this week.

As police enforced a 7 p.m. curfew on June 1, two helicopters were deployed to assist in dispersing protesters. Footage taken by witnesses shows a Lakota medevac aircraft, flying unusually low and displaying Red Cross markings, used its rotor wash to apply a downwards rush of air in an effort to disperse the crowds.

“Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General, has directed an investigation into a June 1 low-flying maneuver conducted by one of our rotary aviation assets,” the D.C. National Guard said in a Wednesday statement.

Witnesses of the maneuver said the helicopters were operating about 12 stories high, or roughly 130 feet.

Protests have swept the nation’s capital and cities across the country in the aftermath of the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis.

“Our highest priority is the safety of our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen who support civil authorities as they perform their duties,” the guard said. “This is our home, and we are dedicated to the safety and security of our fellow citizens of the District and their right to safely and peacefully protest.”