According to witnesses and hospital security footage, Prout, an employee of Pillbox Hill Warehouse Solutions, entered the roof-access stairwell around 2:15 PM Tuesday afternoon under circumstances that remain unclear. Security Chief Dr. Raphael Quonset stated that Prout claimed he was "just checking out the view," though his subsequent actions suggest considerably less innocent intentions. The VCPD helicopter had been parked and unattended for approximately fourteen minutes while its crew attended a cafeteria lunch meeting in the hospital's east wing.
Video evidence shows Prout spending nearly four minutes in the cockpit before accidentally bumping a joystick forward and engaging the auxiliary rotor system. The helicopter lifted off at approximately 2:19 PM, nearly shearing the tail boom against the rooftop helipad shelter before climbing into clear skies. Prout reportedly spent the first twelve minutes of flight attempting to find an "off button," a task complicated by his complete lack of aeronautical training and the helicopter's responsiveness to his increasingly panicked movements.
The VCPD response was swift and overwhelming. Within minutes of the unscheduled departure, the police helicopter chase began, joined shortly by units coordinating across land, sea, and air. The pursuit climaxed over Downtown Vice City when military-grade ordnance was authorized by an as-yet-unnamed superior officer. Prout eventually crash-landed the helicopter into a large fountain in a public park, where he was apprehended while still strapped to the pilot's seat. He was treated for minor injuries and is currently held pending investigation.
