Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.

Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw

Date: 03-29-2023

Case Style:

United States of America v. Andrew Nathan Hernandez

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:




Click Here to Watch How To Find A Lawyer by Kent Morlan


Click Here For The Best Fresno Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory


If no lawyer is listed, call 918-582-6422 and MoreLaw will help you find a lawyer.




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:



Find a Lawyer

Subject:
City:
State:
 

Find a Case

Subject:
County:
State: