FRESNO, Calif. (KERO) — On Monday, March 27, U.S. Attorney Philip A. Talbert announced the sentencing of Andrew Nathan Hernandez, 20, of Bakersfield to 4 months in prison for intentionally aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a Kern County Sheriff's helicopter.
Court documents reveal that the incident happened on December 26, 2020, when Hernandez, who was attending a street race in the area of Hughes and White Lane in Bakersfield, pointed a green laser pointer at KCSO's Air One. The helicopter pilot was temporarily flash-blinded by these laser strikes.
According to a Department of Justice press release on the matter, Hernandez was identified by ground-based law enforcement and initiated a high-speed pursuit. The release says Hernandez was apprehended after a 9-minute chase that covered 11 miles.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports that in 2020, they received 6,852 reports of laser strikes from aircraft pilots, which is over a hundred more than the year prior. In 2022, that number was up to 9,457.
Intentionally aiming lasers at aircraft poses a safety threat to pilots and violates federal law. In addition to any sentence imposed by a court, the FAA is authorized to levy fines in excess of $10,000 per incident against people who knowingly point lasers at aircraft.
