Eric Bashta and Jerry Osterloh, deputies from the Riverside County sheriff’s department in California, will receive the Salute to Excellence MD Helicopters Law Enforcement Award at Heli-Expo for their heroic efforts during an incident in January 2017. The award will be presented at HAI’s Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner on February 28.

A DUI/reckless driver traffic stop turned into a violent altercation in Riverside County on Jan. 11, 2017. A highway patrol officer called Osterloh and Bashta for assistance and they approached the scene in their helicopter. Osterloh saw the driver, who had a woman and two children in his pick-up truck, pull out a rifle and begin to shoot at responding officers. The driver emptied an entire magazine, reloaded, shot a few more rounds, and then got in his truck and fled the scene.

As police pursued the driver, Osterloh and Bashta followed in their helicopter. The driver led police to a suburban area where he stopped in front of a home and fired at officers. As Osterloh and Bashta used their FLIR camera to direct SWAT officers to the driver’s location, the suspect fired 60 to 80 rounds at the helicopter hovering 600 feet above him. Another police aviation unit arrived from the Riverside Police Department, and Bashta coordinated their flight operations while Osterloh kept the driver in sight.

As the suspect repeatedly entered the home and exited to fire at more officers, Osterloh sent radio updates that allowed officers on the ground to safely close in. Within 30 minutes, a SWAT deputy was able to engage with the suspect when he was outside the home.

According to responding law enforcement, the suspect intended this event to be a murder/suicide. Bashta and Osterloh’s diligent work ensured that neither the responding officers nor the suspect’s girlfriend and children were harmed during this altercation.