FBI: Men pointed laser at helicopter

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Two men are facing federal charges, accused of targeting Albuquerque police’s helicopter with a laser pointer.

The helicopter was up just after 10:30 Saturday night looking for a burglar. Instead, all the pilots saw was a blinding light.

Helicopter pilots were able to lead patrol officers to a house near Montgomery and San Mateo boulevards, where two men were found shinning the bright light into the bird. Neighbors said the men were questioned for hours. One of the accused is in the Army National Guard.

“We are taking it very seriously,” FBI Agent Darrin Jones said.

Gabriel Jaramillo, 26, and Army National Guard recruiter Tommy Trujillo, 25, are now facing federal charges.

“You're basically interfering with a flight crew a person operating a aircraft at night no less and a helicopter which obviously is a very sophisticated piece of equipment,” Agent Jones said.

FBI officials said they could be charged with “interfering with a flight crew”, which is just as serious as charges for trying to get into the cockpit of a commercial flight.

Just two years ago, APD pilots were harrassed with a laser pointer.

“Momentarily both pilots are temporarily blinded," Tim Booth, a pilot interview in February 2008 said. "As a result, we aborted the landing, switched to strictly instruments and climbed to a safe altitude. It's very serious. Had we had an incident [or] mishap, two individuals could have died.”