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Date: 03-29-2023
Case Style:
Case Number: 1:21-cr-00011
Judge: 03/29/2023
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (Fresno County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office in Fresno
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Fresno, California criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with knowingly aiming a beam of a laser pointer at a Kern County helicopter.
On Dec. 26, 2020, Andrew Nathan Hernandez, age 20, of Bakersfield, aimed the beam of a green laser at the Sheriff’s helicopter, striking it multiple times. Hernandez was attending a street race in the area of Hughes and White Lane in Bakersfield at the time. Once he was identified, Hernandez led law enforcement ground units on a nine-minute, 11-mile high-speed chase before he was eventually apprehended. The laser strikes caused the pilot to experience significant visual interference as a result of temporary flash blindness and after images.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration website
, in 2020, the FAA received 6,852 reports of laser strikes, which was up from the year before. The FAA advises that, when aimed at an aircraft, lasers can cause visual interference and incapacitate pilots. Such incidents can occur anywhere, but have been reported most frequently in the Western Pacific and Southern regions of the United States.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.
18 U.S.C. 39A - Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft
"Whoever knowingly aims the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or at the flight path of such an aircraft, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."
Outcome: Guilty
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: