Hobby drones are easy to come by these days and very affordable. That means just about anyone can get one and do what they will. Whether that means just a casual flight or an invasion of privacy. But drones aren’t just a threat to privacy. There are serious danger to some aircraft and can get in the way. And that is what got one drone operator arrested when his machine got within 50ft of a LAPD helicopter. That’s a big no-no.
ABC7 in LA is reporting that a LAPD helicopter was distracted from its task earlier this week when a hobby drone came within 50ft of the it while it was attempting to locate a suspect in Hollywood.
The incident forced the police to divert its attention to catching the drone operator. They eventually did just that, in a Rite Aid parking lot. The man was taken into custody for interfering with police work and his drone was confiscated.
Flying drones irresponsibly can have real world consequences. People can get hurt, police may have to let a bad guy go and catch you instead. The man here was questioned by the police and will likely also get a visit from the Federal Aviation Administration. They will have to get a forensics lab to go through the video to determine whether the encounter between the drone and the chopper was done on purpose. You have to be careful when you fly drones.
Source Ubergizmo