In Caracas, the stolen helicopter fired shots at the Interior Ministry and dropped grenades on the Supreme Court, both viewed by Venezuela's opposition as bastions of support for a dictator.
Nobody was injured.
Officials say special forces are seeking 36 year-old Oscar Perez, a police pilot named as the mastermind of the raid by the helicopter that carried a banner saying "Freedom!"
"We have two choices: be judged tomorrow by our conscience and the people or begin today to free our people from this corrupt government. We are warriors of God and our mission is to live, to serve our people. Long live Venezuela!"
That's Oscar Perez, in an unverified social media video.
It's not the first time he's appeared on screen.
In 2015 he co-produced and starred in "Death Suspended," an action film based on real events in which he played the lead role as a government agent rescuing a kidnapped businessman.
The Venezuelan government says the incident was "a coup plot", with President Nicolas Maduro accusing Oscar Perez of trying to oust him from power.
Nestor Luis Reverol, Venezuela's Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, says they want to arrest the pilot.
"We have issued an arrest warrant against this individual and (have requested) the international "red notice" through Interpol."
The attack comes amid a political and social crisis in Venezuela, after three months of opposition protests demanding general elections and measures to fix the country's sinking economy.
The helicopter raid coincided with a judicial measure weakening the powers of dissident chief state prosecutor Luisa
Ortega, who has emerged as a major challenger to President Maduro.
The pro-government Supreme Court expanded the role of the state ombudsman, who is closely allied with Mr Maduro, by giving him powers previously held only by the state prosecutor's office.
Prosecutor Luisa Ortega has led moves to block elections to a proposed Constituent Assembly on July the 30th, which would override the opposition-led National Assembly and have the power to rewrite the constitution.
"If the Constituent Assembly is implemented, what we can expect is that any public body can investigate an individual. Whoever feels like it, or whichever public body wants to (can say), ´I don´t like you, or I simply want to do badly by you, so I will sanction you or detain you."
The crisis gripping the nation is setting off triple-digit inflation and food shortages.
Aid agency Caritas reports children in Venezuela are amongst the worst affected, experiencing high rates of malnutrition.
