For the first time since the relevant statute was enacted, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has filed criminal charges against two men accused of operating drones near hospital and police heliports. Michael Ponce, 20, and Arvel Chappel, 35, could now face up to six months in jail for violating the ordinance, which was approved unanimously by the city council in October.
"Operating a drone near trafficked airspace places pilots and the public at serious risk,” Feuer said in a statement. “We'll continue to use our new City law to hold drone operators accountable and keep our residents safe.”
Under the new ordinance, unauthorized persons are prohibited from flying a drone more than 500 feet in the air, within 25 feet of another person, or within 5 miles of an airport. According to prosecutors, Chappel’s drone came within a quarter-mile of Hooper Heliport downtown on Dec. 12, forcing an LAPD unit to change its landing path. Just days prior, Ponce’s device came within three miles of several hospital heliports in Griffith Park.
The city attorney filed the charges against the men on Jan. 20. The previous day, nearby West Hollywood approved its own set of new regulations limiting to the use of drones.
Read more about the charges filed by L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer here.
Image Credit: Flickr User comedynose, https://flic.kr/p/s7SFv9