Individual Accused of Aiming Laser at Marine One While Trump Was on Board

(The Hill) – A man has been charged after allegedly pointing a laser beam at Marine One while President Trump was on board Saturday, as detailed in a signed affidavit.

The affidavit, signed by Secret Service Officer Diego Santiago, claims that Jacob Samuel Winkler first pointed the laser at Santiago, then directed it towards Marine One.

Winkler faces charges of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, a felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison. The affidavit was also endorsed by D.C. District Court Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui.

Santiago reported observing Winkler “shirtless, talking to himself, and being loud” along Constitution Avenue. After Santiago directed a flashlight towards him, Winkler allegedly disoriented the officer with the laser before aiming it at the president’s helicopter.

Trump was traveling from the South Lawn of the White House to a private dinner in Mount Vernon, Va., on Saturday evening. Marine One took off shortly after 6 p.m. EDT.

The affidavit states Winkler’s actions “posed a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation, especially during low-level flight among nearby helicopters (U.S. Park Police, U.S. Marine Corps) and near the Washington Monument,” potentially endangering Marine One with the threat of an airborne collision.

Santiago then took the man into custody, after which he apologized to Trump. During an interview, the man admitted to pointing the laser beam at Marine One, and said he points it “at all kinds of thing, including stop signs.” Investigators also recovered a 3-inch fixed-blade knife from Winkler. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House and Secret Service for comment on the incident, and is working to determine whether Winkler has legal representation.