Man Facing Charges For Flying Drone During Ravens Playoff Game

A Baltimore man now faces federal felony charges for flying a drone over M&T Bank Stadium during the Wild Card game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 11, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office says.

According to court documents obtained by WJZ, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore, the Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary flight restriction over the stadium during the game, prohibiting certain aircrafts from flying within a three-mile radius. Such restrictions are standard practice for sporting events, and typically go into effect one hour before events begin and lift one hour after events end.

"We are very serious about temporary flight restrictions," Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron told WJZ. "You will be charged and held accountable for any incursion into restricted airspace, including around sports and entertainment venues such as the Super Bowl."

Court documents say that NFL security temporarily suspended the game after spotting an unidentified and unapproved drone flying over the stadium. Officials then found the drone after it landed in Baltimore and were able to track the drone's pilot, 43-year-old Alexis Perez Suarez, after he left the scene.

Suarez reportedly did not register his drone and lacked the certifications necessary to use it. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison for flying a drone without certification and a maximum of one year for violating U.S. National Defense Airspace.

"If you are going to fly a drone, you are responsible for learning all the laws and requirements to responsibly operate it. Failing to do so will not excuse you from the consequences of breaking the law," said William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office.

FBI Special Agent David Rodski detailed the dangers of flying a drone in such a densely packed space while speaking with WJZ.

"The dangers of flying a drone over a stadium - for starters - you have 70,000 people, if that drone falls from the sky, you can injure somebody, you can actually kill somebody with a drone," Rodski said.

The Ravens won the game 28-14, defeating their arch rivals and advancing to the AFC Divisional Round.

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