FRESNO. — Andrew Nathan Hernandez, 20, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to four months in prison for knowingly aiming the laser pointer beam at a Kern County Sheriff’s helicopter, Air One, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 26, 2020, Hernandez struck the beam of a green laser at the Sheriff’s helicopter multiple times. Hernandez attended a street race in Hughes and White Lane in Bakersfield then.

Once he was identified, Hernandez led law enforcement ground units on a nine-minute, 11-mile high-speed chase before he was eventually apprehended. The laser strikes caused the pilot to experience significant visual interference due to temporary flash blindness and afterimages.

In 2020, the FAA received 6,852 reports of laser strikes, which was up from the year before. The FAA advises that lasers can cause visual interference and incapacitate pilots when aimed at an aircraft. Such incidents can occur anywhere but have been reported most frequently in the Western Pacific and Southern regions of the United States.