The Justice Department on Monday charged a man for trying to take down Marine One with a red pointer laser on Saturday.
According to a legal complaint filed on Monday, the suspect, Jacob Samuel Winkler, pointed a red laser at Marine One while President Trump was onboard.
“The red laser beam hit Officer Santiago’s eyes and briefly disoriented him. At this time, Marine One flew at a relatively low height and directly above Officer Santiago and [Winkler’s] location. Marine One was close enough that the rotor noise was loud, and the aircraft appeared large overhead. Officer Santiago approached [Winkler] after being flashed in the face with the red laser. Upon approach, [Winkler] looked up, oriented the same red laser pointer at the direction of Marine One and activated the red laser beam,” the legal complaint said.
“From Officer Santiago’s training and experience, Officer Santiago immediately identified [Winkler’s] action as a danger to Marine One and everyone on-board. [Winkler’s] conduct posed a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation, especially during low-level flight near other helicopters (U.S. Park Police, U.S. Marine Corps) and the Washington Monument. This placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision,” the complaint said.
Winkler was immediately put in handcuffs.
According to the complaint, after Winkler was handcuffed, he got on his knees and said, “I should apologize to Donald Trump,” and “I apologize to Donald Trump.”
“The defendant, Jacob Samuel Winkler, did knowingly aim 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,” the complaint read.
Winkler was charged with 18 U.S. Code § 39A, a law that prohibits aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.