The Helicopter Chase
People v. Acosta (1991)
Charge: Second-degree murder (three counts) Jurisdiction: California Heard on GUILTY or NOT?: 28 October 2026
Whether a driver who led police on a 48-mile chase answers for three deaths in a helicopter crash that followed a pursuing pilot's improper maneuver.
The facts
The Defendant took a stolen car and led police on a reckless 48-mile chase across Orange County — running lights, driving the wrong way, and weaving through traffic at high speed. Two police helicopters tracked him from above. During the pursuit, one helicopter, maneuvering improperly, collided with the other, and three people aboard died. The Defendant never touched the aircraft. The Prosecution charged him with three counts of second-degree murder, arguing he set the deadly chain in motion. The questions are whether the Defendant proximately caused the deaths and whether he acted with malice.
You have the facts the court had. Did the prosecution prove it? Render your verdict in the game, then see what the court actually decided — and why.
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Citation: People v. Acosta, 232 Cal. App. 3d 1375, 284 Cal. Rptr. 117 (1991)
Read the full decision at law.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.