US authorities have charged a man for pointing a laser pointer at Marine One, the presidential helicopter, while it departed the White House with former President Donald Trump aboard.
According to a court filing on Monday, Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, was spotted by a Secret Service officer shining a red laser beam from the sidewalk outside the White House grounds as Marine One lifted off on Saturday.
Winkler was immediately detained and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft — a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The affidavit noted that his actions posed a significant risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation, particularly during low-altitude flight in the busy Washington, D.C. airspace near other helicopters and landmarks such as the Washington Monument.
“This placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision,” the filing stated.
After being handcuffed, Winkler reportedly dropped to his knees and said, “I should apologize to Donald Trump.” He later told investigators he did not know pointing the laser at the helicopter was illegal, claiming he routinely aimed it at objects like stop signs.
The filing did not indicate whether the helicopter’s crew or passengers noticed the laser.
Trump was en route to Virginia to deliver a speech at the American Cornerstone Institute, US media reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has long warned that laser strikes pose a serious safety threat to aircraft, with risks of temporary blindness or distraction to pilots. The FAA recorded 5,913 laser incidents so far this year, underscoring the growing danger.
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