Police helicopter crashes near Atlanta; 2 officers injured

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LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- A police helicopter crashed at an airport outside Atlanta on Friday, and two officers on board were taken to a hospital, authorities said.

The chopper "went down" at Briscoe Field, a general aviation airport northeast of Atlanta, Gwinnett County police Detective David Smith said in a brief statement.

The county's fire department helped free one of the occupants, who was trapped inside, police said. Both officers were conscious, alert and talking, police said on their social media accounts.

Televised photographs of the site showed the helicopter on its side in a grassy area, with a piece broken off.

The airport, Briscoe Field, is in the Lawrenceville area about 30 miles northeast of Atlanta.

The Gwinnett County Police Department patrols a sprawling county of about 800,000 people that includes many Atlanta suburbs. The department has more than 750 sworn officers and is one of Georgia's largest law enforcement agencies.