A man in Hollywood was arrested earlier this week for derailing an LAPD helicopter that was searching for a fleeing suspect with his drone.
LAPD VERSUS DRONE PILOT AND DRONE HOBBYISTS
Originally reported by ABC7 in LA, the drone had managed to come within 50 feet of the LAPD helicopter, which forced the police to focus their attention on finding the drone pilot –ditching their original efforts to find the suspect they were pursuing.
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Eventually the LAPD found the amateur drone pilot in a Rite Aid parking lot who was arrested for interfering with a police investigation. Authorities confiscated the drone, and questioned the operator about the event. According to the LAPD, he will also be questioned by the Federal Aviation Administration. Video was also taken by the drone, and will be examined by a forensics team in order to determine whether or not the drone pilot was intentionally interfering with the search, or if he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It could kill everybody onboard the aircraft and anybody you hit on the ground. These aircrafts are just under 5,000 pounds and they can carry up to 143 gallons of jet fuel,” said LAPD pilot Sgt. Jorge Gonzalez in an interview with ABC7.
THIS ISN’T LAPD’S FIRST DRONE ENCOUNTER
In Aug. of last year, the LAPD received reports from a Canadian jetliner about a drone flying at 4,000 feet just 10 miles east of the Los Angeles International Airport. About a week later, the LAPD spotted a drone in L.A. just outside the northwest side of the police headquarters. The drone flew around the 10th story of the building, and then moved on to hovering above City Hall.
Another incident involved a drone operator named Daniel Saulmon. Saulmon was originally arrested for filming police on the ground, so he began filming the LAPD from the air with a drone. The LAPD ordered Saulmon to stop because he was trespassing. Saulmon ended up posting the video on YouTube.
LEGISLATION
The drone takeover is happening fast, and as usual, lawmakers are having a tough time trying to figure out how to create legislation around drones. Heated encounters and dangerous situations involving drones seem to be appearing more and more everyday. It’s possible that drone operators may need to have a license to operate if the community can’t get together to formulate proper drone etiquette.
