Las Vegas man sentenced to 9 months in prison for pointing laser at police helicopter

A Las Vegas man was sentenced to nine months in prison for pointing a high-power laser at a police helicopter, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

According to court documents, Sergio Octavio Sanchez aimed the beam of a green laser pointer at a Metropolitan Police Department helicopter several times in January 2025 as the helicopter was providing aerial support to officers on the ground, the DOJ said in a release.

“When the laser struck the aircraft, the pilot had to shield his eyes and divert from its assignment and flight path,” the release said.

Under the “FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison.

In Sanchez’s case, federal prosecutors requested a sentence of 21 months. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Gordon ruled a nine-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release for Sanchez.

“Pointing a laser into the sky is not a harmless joke,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto said in a statement. “Pointing one at a police helicopter is a direct threat to the safety of the pilot, the passengers, and everyone on the ground below. High-powered laser beams can instantly impair a pilot’s vision during the most critical phases of flight, turning a routine mission into a potential catastrophe. The FBI will use every available resource to track the illegal use of lasers back to their source. If you aim a laser at an aircraft, expect us to come knocking at your door.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots reported 10,993 laser strikes in 2025.