San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Aiming Laser at Sheriff’s Helicopter

SAN DIEGO—A man who aimed a laser pointer at a San Diego County sheriff’s helicopter and commercial aircraft pleaded guilty Dec. 14 to a federal crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the Federal Aviation Administration received a series of reports on June 12, 2021, that a laser was being trained on commercial aircraft as they were landing at San Diego International Airport. Sheriff’s officials were notified and tracked the origin of the laser to National City. A sheriff’s helicopter responding to the area spotted Ruben Ricardo Rodriguez, 33, who aimed a laser pointer into the chopper’s cockpit multiple times, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office....