An ex-con who was found guilty of shooting at and striking a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter last year was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years and eight months in state prison.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo cited what she called “a very, very stupid, negligent act” by Douglas Byers in opting against imposing the 41-year, eight-month sentence requested by Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall.
The judge noted that the conduct was “extremely dangerous” and “does require prison time,” but said the crime seemed connected to the defendant’s substance abuse and added that he had been respectful and friendly while acting as his own attorney during the trial. Escobedo said she had the discretion not to impose the gun enhancements that were found true by jurors in March.
Outside the downtown Los Angeles courtroom, the prosecutor said, “While I respect the court immensely, I believe that someone who committed perjury and lied to 12 jurors and almost murdered two police officers (and) could have potentially killed multiple individuals on the ground does not deserve 12 years in prison. He deserves a punishment that equals his conduct both out on the street and in the courtroom.”
Byers, now 59, was convicted of two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon for using an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to shoot at the helicopter on Aug. 15, 2025.
During his sentencing hearing, Byers acknowledged he had a “lengthy” criminal record but said he had “never been accused of a violent crime in my life.” He said he had “no animus” against the police and maintained that he had not lied under oath while testifying before the jury.
The prosecutor wrote in his sentencing memorandum that asked for just short of the maximum sentence, “Two officers were inside the aircraft and narrowly escaped with their lives because of defendant’s actions. Before striking the airship, defendant fired multiple rounds in unknown directions, further endangering the community … Although defendant suffered a mental break that contributed to his shooting at the LAPD helicopter, he was not under the same impairment when he chose to testify and lie to the jury.”
Police recovered 18 spent cartridge casings at the scene, with forensic analysis subsequently confirming that the casings were fired from the rifle recovered from the defendant’s shed in South Los Angeles and establishing the bullet’s trajectory through the helicopter, according to the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum.
The prosecutor said outside court that authorities realized later that the helicopter had been struck “literally inches away from hitting a vital part” that would have caused it to crash.
“There’s no doubt about who did this,” Siddall said.