Portland hospital reroutes air ambulances amid laser pointer risk

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A name to shine laser lights into the sky in an effort to disrupt federal helicopters flying over South Portland has prompted severe security issues and compelled a key trauma hospital to reroute air ambulances.

The web flyer, posted on the homepage of Rose Metropolis Counter-Information, a self-described "anarchist counter-info platform in so-called Portland, Oregon," encourages members to participate in a "laser tag" occasion aimed toward federal plane.

The put up urges people to masks up, coordinate with others, and take steps to keep away from identification – together with cleansing laser pointers with alcohol, sporting gloves, and eradicating potential DNA traces earlier than disposal.

On account of the deliberate exercise, Oregon Well being & Science College (OHSU) reported that a number of air ambulance suppliers declined to land on the hospital’s rooftop helipad on Saturday night time, according to KGW.

HOMELAND SECURITY RESPONDS TO 'LASER TAG' THREATS FROM PORTLAND GROUP: 'THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS'

<img src="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1200/675/portland-ice.jpg?ve=1&tl=1" alt="A demonstrator wearing an inflatable Capybara costume stands outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, as police work to disperse the crowd to clear traffic driving into the ICE building, during a protest, in south Portland, Oregon, U.S., October 6, 2025. " width="1200" height="675"/> A demonstrator sporting an inflatable Capybara costume stands outdoors the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, as police work to disperse the gang to clear visitors driving into the ICE constructing, throughout a protest, in south Portland, Oregon, U.S., October 6, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

As an alternative, they redirected their helicopters to close by airports, requiring sufferers to be transferred to OHSU by floor ambulance — a course of estimated so as to add 45 to 60 minutes to journey time.

"For many sufferers, that will likely be a suitable delay. Nonetheless, for some delicate conditions, comparable to unstable trauma sufferers, STEMIs and strokes, the delay might have actual impacts," OHSU stated in an e-mail to KGW.

The hospital additionally suggested employees to "incorporate extra transit time into their decision-making," and strongly urged the general public to not take part within the laser occasion, calling it "extraordinarily harmful."

OHSU later clarified that the choice to divert flights was made by the air ambulance distributors themselves, not the hospital.

EX-CNN REPORTER DECLARES PORTLAND 'A PILOT PROGRAM FOR NORMALIZING DOMESTIC MILITARIZATION'

A protester reacts as legislation enforcement officers deployed smoke grenades to disperse folks gathered outdoors the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in south Portland, Ore., Oct. 5, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

In a press release to Fox Information Digital, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) emphasised that pointing lasers at plane endangers each pilots and folks on the bottom and is prohibited underneath state and federal legislation.

The bureau added it "commonly" arrests people for targeting police aircraft with lasers, together with one arrest earlier this week. Whereas police confirmed they had been monitoring the ICE constructing on Saturday, they stated the presence was not larger than regular. Police additionally reported no laser strikes that night time.

The Port of Portland, which oversees normal aviation within the area, acknowledged the uptick in helicopter and propeller plane exercise.

The downtown skyline shimmers within the early morning waters of the Willamette River. (George Rose/Getty Photographs)

"We're conscious of the upper quantity of helicopter and propeller airplane exercise over South and Southwest Portland," the Port stated. "This seems to be associated to federal legislation enforcement and/or army exercise and isn't a improvement the Port of Portland can management."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has additionally condemned the decision to focus on plane with lasers, warning that the act is a federal crime.

ICE DIRECTOR SAYS PORTLAND FACILITY FACES VIOLENCE WITH 'LITTLE HELP FROM LOCAL POLICE'

"Aiming a laser pointer at an plane is a federal crime. That is extremely harmful for the plane personnel and for the general public’s security," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in a earlier assertion to Fox Information Digital. "Antifa home terrorists WILL NOT overrun our cities. We are going to bust their networks and convey each one in all them to justice."

Federal officers cited a current incident as proof of the dangers such actions pose. On September 30, DHS reported that 4 Mexican nationals residing in the U.S. illegally had been arrested in Portland after allegedly shining a laser at a U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) helicopter, endangering each the crew and folks under.

Portland has remained a focus for demonstrations in opposition to federal immigration enforcement, with protests close to the ICE facility persevering with for a number of weeks. In some cases, demonstrators have displayed provocative props comparable to a guillotine to represent opposition to federal actions.

U.S. Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem observes the scene of ongoing protests on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on October 7, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Photographs)

Earlier this week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited the ICE facility in Portland, the place she prayed with officers coping with the continued unrest.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, nevertheless, disputed characterizations of widespread dysfunction. "There isn't a riot," Kotek stated, expressing confidence that "native legislation enforcement will meet the second." She added that in her assembly with Noem, she reiterated Oregon’s expectation that DHS and ICE operations adjust to state legislation.

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Kotek joins a number of different Democratic governors who've pushed again in opposition to the Trump administration’s expanded federal enforcement efforts.

Fox Information Digital has reached out to OHSU for remark.

Fox Information Digital's Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Stepheny Worth covers crime, together with lacking individuals, homicides and migrant crime. Ship story tricks to stepheny.value@fox.com.

Stepheny Worth is a Author at Fox News with a concentrate on West Coast and Midwest information, lacking individuals, nationwide and worldwide crime tales, murder instances, and border safety.