‘It’s a federal felony’: 4 men charged for shining lasers at police helicopters, officials say

WSBTV.com News Staff
·3 min read
7

Four men have been charged for aiming laser pointers at police helicopters in metro Atlanta.

Daniel Maloney, Fredy Contreras, Timothy Wilson and Theodore Rowe now face federal charges after being indicted by a grand jury on July 13.

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“Pointing lasers at an aircraft is extremely dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “A laser aimed at an aircraft blinds the pilot and makes it difficult if not impossible for the persons in the cockpit to read their instruments. Persons who are found pointing lasers at aircraft will be prosecuted.”

In February 2020, a Gwinnett County Police Department helicopter was searching for a robbery suspect when officials said 55-year-old Maloney pointed a red laser at the helicopter, temporarily blinding the pilot.

Police said they were forced to stop looking for the robbery suspect and switch to infrared vision to locate where the red laser was coming from. Once police had an address, they went to Maloney’s home where he admitted to police to pointing his laser at the helicopter.

In November 2020, officials said Contreras, 48, shined a green laser at a Gwinnett police helicopter as it searched for a stolen vehicle. Police were able to identify the home that the laser was coming from and officers on the ground went to the home. Once there, Contreras admitted to shining a laser at the helicopter.

Wilson, 61, admitted to shining a laser at an Atlanta Police Department helicopter on May 26, 2021 as it was searching for a 6-year old boy who had been reported missing. During the search, police said Wilson shined a green laser at the helicopter multiple times. The pilot was forced to switch to protective eye gear that minimized the light from the laser. Once police arrived at Wilson’s home he admitted to shining the laser at the helicopter.

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On July 1, 2021, the Gwinnett police helicopter searched for a wandering person. During the search, police said 51-year-old Rowe shined a green laser multiple times at the helicopter, interfering with the search.

Police said the green laser forced the tactical flight officer to switch to the infrared camera to identify where the laser light was coming from. Once officers arrived at Rowe’s home, he admitted to shining the laser at the helicopter.

“The Atlanta Police Department takes the safety of our officers seriously, whether on the ground or in the air,” said interim Atlanta police chief, Darin Schierbaum. “The fact that these defendants used laser pointers to endanger the lives of members of our Phoenix Air Unit and the safety of people on the ground, is very disturbing. The federal charges brought forth against these men sends a message that irresponsible actions and criminal activity will not be tolerated.”

“The Gwinnett Police Department is thankful for the diligence the FAA and FBI both have for continuing the mission of educating the public on how dangerous it is to point a laser at any aircraft. Our department will not allow these offenses interfere with the Aviation Unit’s operations and the department’s mission of serving and protecting the residents of Gwinnett with first-class law enforcement service, including airborne response,” said Chief James D. McClure of Gwinnett County Police Department.

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