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Prison break for love: Woman used a helicopter to break her boyfriend out of prison in 1988
It sounds like a movie, but it happened. Check out this daring 1988 helicopter prison break.
The recapture of the convicted murderer ended *** fifteen-hour escape drama. Yeah, I was hijacked by who? The little gal with *** gun. The escape might be considered *** sort of birthday present for her boyfriend Daniel Mahoney. Just *** few minutes after the escape, word was out and the chase was on. What you’re looking at is the helicopter used in the prison breakout as you can see, it is closely being pursued by authorities in the larger Black Hawk helicopter. This was all part of *** wild aerial cat and mouse chase which played itself out in the skies over Albuquerque and Los Lunas today. It was in Los Lunas where the fleeing aircraft first landed. Two inmates and an accomplice fanned out at the Los Lunas airstrip. The two inmates. Fled Lackey was apprehended by police at *** roadblock shortly afterwards. Mahoney remained free and continued to be on the loose until midnight. The remaining escapee, convicted murderer Francis Preston Mitchell, then pointed *** gun to the head of the helicopter pilot, and the aerial chase resumed. At one point it looked like the chase would end at the Coronado Airport when the suspect helicopter attempted to land in the middle of the runway, hovering as its skids almost touched the asphalt, but only to again accelerate into the skies. After dodging and weaving above Albuquerque one final time, the fleeing helicopter became surrounded by airborne law enforcement and was forced to land at the Albuquerque airport. 26 year old Francis Mitchell, his 120 minute taste of freedom had come to an end as he touched down on the commercial ramp, uh, we came in on the other side of them. They knew they were covered. They immediately, uh, gave up. Taken into custody were the helicopter pilot Charles Bella from El Paso and inmate Francis Mitchell. The two were immediately surrounded by officers and taken to the US Customs facility for questioning. *** customs agents spent most of the afternoon questioning pilot Charles Bella. Officers are trying to determine whether he was *** willing participant in the escape or *** hostage. We caught up with him for an exclusive interview shortly after noon. I was hijacked by with *** gun. People that treat me like criminals. One bullet hole was found just under the pilot’s door, presumably from gunfire at the state pen this morning. Investigators say no weapons were found in the helicopter. However, just before being forced down at the airport, at least one pistol was tossed from the aircraft. Where’s the pistol? Who has it? I don’t know. The woman who allegedly chartered the chopper was hiding in *** hangar. Beverly Shoemaker is being held on charges of aiding in *** prison escape. Shoemaker was carrying. Boxes of ammunition in her purse. The escapee, Randy Lackey was successful in commandeering *** truck. He was apprehended later at *** roadblock in Los Lunas where authorities wounded him slightly. He’s in good condition at *** local hospital. Daniel Mahoney was recaptured in Los Lunas just after midnight, only *** few miles north of where he’d hopped out of the escape helicopter at Mid Valley Air Park earlier in the day. We spot him in motion. Dogs were behind him. He couldn’t go back. He went forward. We made our arrest and uh and at that point he didn’t have *** weapon on him. Charles Bella, the pilot of the helicopter used in the escape attempt, was charged with 3 counts of aiding in an escape and 1 count of conspiracy. The basic question in this trial is whether Charles Bella flew his helicopter into the state prison yard because he was being paid to do it or because he had *** gun pointed at his head. During the hearing, *** customs agent who was in the Black Hawk pursuit. The helicopter testified that Bella made several aggressive moves during the flight. He could have done *** number of things that were much less dangerous, even with *** gun in his head. Bella, who did not take the stand, maintains his innocence. He says his flight movements were well thought out and safety was the only thing on his mind. *** surprise admission, Shoemaker said Bella made *** try for the gun before they got to the prison. I just told him that I wanted to get my boyfriend out of there and I had nothing to lose.
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Prison break for love: Woman used a helicopter to break her boyfriend out of prison in 1988
It sounds like a movie, but it happened. Check out this daring 1988 helicopter prison break.
Beverly Shoemaker thought she’d found her break in love with inmate Daniel Mahoney. It’s unfortunate their love ended behind bars.Mahoney was serving an extensive sentence for violent crimes. His trouble-causing ways landed him in a higher security prison every few years. Shoemaker followed him relentlessly.By the summer of 1988, Mahoney was locked up near Santa Fe. That’s when Shoemaker set a plan into motion that would put a helicopter at the center of everything. What happened next unfolded fast, drew multiple inmates into the chaos, and triggered a high-stakes response on the ground and in the air.The full timeline, and the twist that decided it all, is in the video above.
Beverly Shoemaker thought she’d found her break in love with inmate Daniel Mahoney. It’s unfortunate their love ended behind bars.
Mahoney was serving an extensive sentence for violent crimes. His trouble-causing ways landed him in a higher security prison every few years. Shoemaker followed him relentlessly.
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By the summer of 1988, Mahoney was locked up near Santa Fe. That’s when Shoemaker set a plan into motion that would put a helicopter at the center of everything.
What happened next unfolded fast, drew multiple inmates into the chaos, and triggered a high-stakes response on the ground and in the air.
The full timeline, and the twist that decided it all, is in the video above.
