Armando Rodriguez-Leyva, Laser Strike, Kansas 2023

A Wichita man was charged with striking a Kansas Highway Patrol aircraft with a beam from a laser pointer, putting the lives of pilots at risk.

Armando Rodriguez-Leyva, 29, of Wichita, is charged with one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, a federal felony offense.

The incident occurred on December 15, when a fixed-wing aircraft owned and operated by the Kansas Highway Patrol was flying over south Wichita to assist local law enforcement agents with a case.

A green-colored laser struck the aircraft several times and illuminated the cockpit of the aircraft, presenting a serious risk to the pilot.

The pilot tracked the laser light to a residence in the 1100 block of South Terrace in Wichita, where the defendant was sitting in a car behind the residence when he was arrested.

If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

The Kansas Highway Patrol, the Wichita Police Department, and the FBI investigated the incident, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan McCarty is prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/wichita-man-charged-laser-strike-khp-plane