Source: US FBI
LOS ANGELES—A Los Angeles man was taken into custody this week by FBI agents and charged federally with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft—specifically, a helicopter operated by pilots with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Dominic Rios, 21, whose last known address was in Hemet, was arrested on July 7 pursuant to a federal criminal complaint filed on June 27 in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.
The complaint alleges that, on June 10, 2025, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) helicopter was flying at an altitude of approximately 950 feet while monitoring protests in downtown Los Angeles when it was struck three times by green laser light.
The LAPD helicopter pilot and flight officer were able to identify the person using the laser, later identified as Rios, and relay his description and location near a parking lot to LAPD officers on the ground, who located Rios and arrested him. An LAPD officer searched Rios and found a laser pointer in his pocket. After the LAPD officer Mirandized Rios, Rios admitted that he had used his green laser pointer on the LAPD helicopter.
Testing confirmed that the device seized from Rios was a green laser pointer. The helicopter was struck three times by the green laser and each strike lit up the cockpit. Each strike lasted approximately 3-5 seconds, forcing the pilot to modify the helicopter’s altitude to avoid additional strikes, according to the complaint.
Testing conducted by the LAPD confirmed that the green laser used by Rios is hazardous to the eyes.
Rios had an initial appearance before a federal magistrate and was released on bond.
If convicted, Rios faces statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
This investigation was conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Derek Flores.
When laser beams are aimed at any piloted aircraft, whether military or commercial, what might seem like a tiny beam on the ground can blind aircrew, potentially causing a midair collision or other incident.
In 2023 alone, the Federal Aviation Administration (or FAA) received more than 13,000 reports of laser strikes. And the U.S. Air Force Safety Center’s webpage dedicated to the issue notes that “aircrew are issued laser eye protection glasses before each flight.”
These incidents are both dangerous and illegal.
The FBI is reminding the public to keep their laser pointers out of the sky to protect pilots—and to avoid hefty fines and potential prison time.
To learn more about this crime, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/preventing-laser-strikes-on-aircraft.