Yeah they were already talking about passing local laws since FAA stuff is in flux. The LAPD heli flies over the area I fly from time to time, but I make sure he's nowhere near before takeoff, and if I do hear anything, it's quick landing time.
I think in this idiot's case he had to know there was a lot of PD activity because they had set up a perimeter to nab someone. Whether he saw the heli or not is moot. He should have never flown.
Edit: looks like he was messing with the police activity. From another article:
"According to police, the airship flew lower than usual during the search, which is where they encountered the drone.
“Our pilot looked up and saw two red lights coming at him,” said Capt. Al Lopez. “The pilot had to stress the machine to lower it. It placed our pilot in immediate danger.”
The suspect was reportedly flying the drone to capture video of the police investigation.
Luckily, the drone did not come into contact with the helicopter and the investigation was completed.
The suspect was released from custody, however, police said they are still reviewing the case and believe he may a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon on an officer.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Sacramento are now looking at a number of bills that involve flying drones into emergency airspace.
The laws could allow first responders to damage or disable drones, and fines or jail time could be imposed to offenders.
No bills have been passed at this time."
