Man Who Aimed Laser Pointer At Helicopter Sentenced To Prison

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Jefferson County man was sentenced to eight months in federal prison Wednesday for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. Gabriel Lopez Mathews, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge in April.

Court records said that on April 11, 2020, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Star One helicopter was assisting the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency in a nighttime operation to recover stolen firearms. While flying below an approach path for the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, the helicopter received numerous laser strikes from a residence below.

The helicopter’s tactical officer was able to determine the street location of the source of the laser strikes, which was relayed to the Birmingham Police Department. Birmingham officers responded to the scene but could not locate a suspect. However, they gathered information that later assisted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in tracking down Mathews and obtaining a confession.

“Pointing a laser at an aircraft can disorient the pilot and cause the aircraft to crash,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. “Laser strikes can be deadly, and individuals who put pilots and residents in the path of the aircraft in danger will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”