RantCrush Top 5: June 28, 2017

The latest twist in the ongoing crisis in Venezuela sounds more like an action movie than real life. Last night, a police officer went rogue and flew a helicopter over the country’s Supreme Court, dropping grenades onto the building. He also fired about 15 gunshots. Luckily, no one was injured.

The pilot was identified as Oscar Pérez. He posted some videos on his Instagram account, saying that he wanted to protest the tyranny of President Nicolas Maduro and his government. “We are a coalition of military employees, policemen, and civilians who are looking for balance and are against this criminal government,” he said. In the video he is seen flanked by armed, masked men, but it’s not clear how many people are actually backing him.

Pérez is a 15-year veteran of the forensic police force. He also starred in a 2015 action movie called “Suspended Death” and has posted hundreds of photos of himself with guns in various positions–like shooting a target over his shoulder using a tiny mirror, or holding a rifle while scuba diving. He says he wants to inspire the people of Venezuela to rise up. Maduro called the incident a terrorist attack and a coup attempt, and accused the U.S. of supporting such attempts.

#Venezuela | Oscar Perez flying stolen helicopter that dropped grenades on Supreme Court. pics via twitter. #OOTT pic.twitter.com/ztue54VojZ

— Lee Saks (@Lee_Saks) June 28, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.