A man was taken into custody on a federal charge in Washington, D.C., after allegedly aiming a red laser pointer at Marine One while the aircraft was carrying President Donald Trump.
Jacob Samuel Winkler was arrested on September 20 and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. The act carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
While securing the Presidential helicopter’s flight path on Saturday, Secret Service Officer Diego Santiago spotted Winkler, who was shirtless and talking loudly to himself. When Santiago attempted to get a closer look, Winkler aimed a laser at his face, briefly disorienting him. Winkler then pointed the laser beam toward Marine One, which was flying low after leaving the White House.
“Upon approach, [Winkler] looked up, oriented the same red laser pointer at the direction of Marine One and activated the red laser beam,” read the criminal complaint, per Fox News.
The complaint noted that Winkler’s actions posed a “danger” to the aircraft and its passengers. Lasers have the potential to temporarily blind a pilot, risking collision.
The complaint noted that Winkler was quickly restrained in handcuffs and then allegedly began to make statements that included, “I should apologize to Donald Trump” and “I apologize to Donald Trump.”
Along with seizing Winkler’s red laser pointer, investigators took possession of a fixed-blade knife measuring roughly three inches.
Winkler later waived his Miranda rights and told investigators he was not aware it was illegal to point a laser at Marine One.
“He said he points the laser at all kinds of things, such as stop signs,” the complaint read.