Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –Jorge Armendariz has pled guilty to aiming a laser pointer at a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter on October 7th, 2025. The laser struck the aircraft multiple times and was aimed into the pilot’s eyes several times according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of NM. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Metro 1 helicopter was assisting ground operations at the time of the incident. The crew tracked the laser to a car in a McDonald’s drive-thru and later to a nearby home. Armendariz fled the home when deputies arrived. He was later arrested and faces up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine at sentencing.
