A boater was arrested on Friday for allegedly firing a weapon at a Coast Guard helicopter that was responding to a distress call it received on Thursday, officials reported.
A 40-foot sailboat had sent a distress call on Thursday "approximately 75 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana," according to a press release.
Responding to the call, the Coast Guard sent a helicopter crew, but when they arrived at the scene, they were met with hostility as the boater "pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the helicopter," the release said.
"The aircrew heard objects striking the aircraft and immediately departed the scene due to aircraft and crew safety concerns," according to the release.
After leaving, the crew returned to the Air Station located in New Orleans. After landing, the helicopter was inspected, and the crew discovered it was shot, the release said.
Working in partnership, the FBI and Coast Guard Investigative Service was able to arrest the boater on Friday, the release said.
The arrest went down "without incident" as the agencies responded to the stranded ship in a fixed-wing airplane and response boat. The name of the boater and charges have not been released.
"Safety of life was our number one priority during this challenging incident," Lt. Phillip VanderWeit, spokesperson for the Eighth Coast Guard District, said in the release. "Through the professional and skillful work of our crews and interagency partners, we were able to bring this incident to a peaceful resolution."
The Coast Guard is still working to investigate the incident and find out why the boater fired at the helicopter and why they released a distress call, the release shared.
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