He’s facing a federal charge for aiming a laser pointer at a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter in October of 2025. Jorge Armendariz reportedly aimed a green laser at the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Metro 1 helicopter while it was assisting ground operations on October 7th, 2025. The U.S. Attorney Office for the District of NM says the laser struck the aircraft mulitple times and was aimed into the pilots eyes several times. The laser beam was tracked to a vehicle in a McDonald’s drive-thru and later to a nearby home. Armendariz fled the home but was later arrested and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. He will remain in custody pending trail. If convicted Armendariz faces up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. No trial date has been set. At the time of this incident Armendariz had an active state warrant for violating conditions of pretrial release involving receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.
