Helicopter team lands as a probe at low DC overpasses continues


The National Guard helicopter crew that flew over protesters in the nation's capital this week has been punished, the army secretary told reporters on Friday.

The Army launched an administrative investigation, called 15-6, after a Lakota UH-72 was seen maneuvering low in Washington, DC, Monday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said. The crew was punished immediately after the investigation began, he added.

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"It's an administrative automatic when you start a 15-6," McCarthy said. "It is a procedure."

The defense secretary and the head of the National Guard in DC ordered an investigation into the matter. McCarthy said he hopes it ends soon.

"I will receive a provisional update later today," he said.

The incident is one of several apparent displays of force that have come under scrutiny this week amid national protests after George Floyd, a black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis. McCarthy said he has had no direct report that active Army or Air National Guardsmen in Washington are violent against peaceful protesters.

The videos showed Lakota and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifting debris as officials tried to force protesters who had broken up at 7 p.m. from the city. curfew off the streets. The Black Hawks were reportedly operated by the FBI.

McCarthy declined to say who ordered the helicopter teams to fly low over protesters in Washington, citing concerns that he is in the chain of command and that the investigation is ongoing.

"We are going to try to close it ... as quickly as possible," he said.

Maj. Gen. William Walker, the head of the DC National Guard, said in announcing the investigation that he wants to make sure everyone involved complies with security rules and procedures.

"I believe that all members of the District of Columbia National Guard meet the highest standards," he said in a statement. "We live and work in the District, and we are dedicated to serving our nation."

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