WASHINGTON: A man has been charged by United States authorities for shining a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter as it departed the White House with President Donald Trump on board.
According to a court filing on Monday, a Secret Service officer witnessed 33-year-old Jacob Samuel Winkler direct a red laser beam from a sidewalk outside the White House grounds towards the Marine One helicopter during its takeoff on Saturday.
Winkler was immediately detained at the scene and faces a felony charge of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The court affidavit stated that Winkler’s actions created a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation, particularly during the helicopter’s low-level flight near other aircraft and the Washington Monument.
“This placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision,“ the filing explicitly noted.
After being handcuffed, Winkler reportedly got on his knees and expressed that he should apologise to Donald Trump, according to the affidavit signed by the Secret Service officer.
Winkler later informed authorities that he was unaware pointing the laser at Marine One was prohibited and admitted to frequently pointing the laser at various objects like stop signs.
The court document did not indicate whether anyone aboard the helicopter, including President Trump, noticed the laser incident at the time.
President Trump was travelling to the state of Virginia to deliver a speech to the American Cornerstone Institute, as reported by US media outlets.
The Federal Aviation Administration consistently warns that lasers present a serious safety threat to aircraft by potentially incapacitating pilots.
The agency has already recorded 5,913 laser incidents targeting aircraft in the current year. – AFP