Police said in a news release Tuesday that a man was arrested while an investigation into a street takeover in a Los Angeles police station helicopter was underway and said he could face him in prison for several years. It is being done.
Brian Gutierrez, 27-year-old Gardena native, released a powerful green laser with a helicopter early on February 8th, police said. Officers discovered around 12:25am, about 50 vehicles and pedestrians were blocking the road at the intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Vermont Avenue in Gardena.
Gutierrez is said to have pointed the laser up while officers were collecting the area. LAPD said the helicopter pilot and tactical aviation officer took immediate action to avoid a laser strike while maintaining visual contact with the suspect.
Officials claim that Gutierrez escaped from the area and passed through the backyard of the property in the 15,800 block of Belena Avenue in Gardena. The Street Racing Task Force Unit responded to the location and found Gutierrez hidden in a separate structure.
Authorities discovered a black cylindrical laser pointer in the property’s vestibule and identified it as a device targeted at executives. Gutierrez was arrested and actively identified by tactical aviators.
“To point a laser on a helicopter may seem harmless, but this individual’s behavior is illegal and dangerous,” said LAPD chief Jim McDonnell. “Ejecting lasers on an aircraft blinds pilots and puts the lives of officers and the public at risk. With the rapid response of the Street Race Task Force and our air support department, we are able to offer our team, the public attorneys. People were safe and the suspects were successful in their fears.”
Gutierrez was booked with a state charge of laser-ejecting on a moving aircraft. The LA County District Attorney’s Office has charged him with two felony counts. It is fatal weapon assault and laser discharge.
Gutierrez could face both for up to four years in prison, fined $10,000, or face both due to attacks with a deadly weapon. Ejecting lasers on an aircraft will be punished with a fine of up to three years or $2,000 in prison.
Gutierrez could also be arrested on federal charges, according to LAPD. The US law firm is considering federal filings under the law that deems laser pointers on aircraft for the purpose of federal crimes. This offence can be punished with a fine, a prison for up to five years, or both.
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