A Hollywood man was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he operated a drone which slammed into a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter back in September, forcing it to make an emergency landing.
Andrew Rene Hernandez, 22, was arrested by FBI agents on one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports.
Authorities say it’s the first criminal case in the nation in which a person has been charged with unsafely operating a drone.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 18, an LAPD helicopter was responding to a burglary call at a Hollywood pharmacy when it was struck by a drone, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.
The collision damaged the chopper’s nose, antenna and bottom cowlings, prosecutors alleged in a criminal complaint.
Read more at CBS2LA.
{Matzav.com}
