A Los Angeles resident was apprehended on December 9 at San Francisco International Airport, just moments before departing on a flight to China. The man, identified as Yinpiao Zhou, has found himself entangled in legal woes after purportedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base and capturing photographs, as per a Department of Justice news release. Zhou, 39, has now been charged with the failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace, CBS Los Angeles reported.
According to the affidavit on the incident submitted on December 8, Zhou's drone incursion was alerted to base officials by their drone detection systems on November 30. The unmanned aircraft was flagged for having spent nearly an hour in restricted airspace and reaching an altitude of almost one mile— with its flight starting from Ocean Park, which lies in proximity to the space force base, as per CBS Los Angeles. Base security personnel subsequently engaged Zhou, who was in the company of another individual at the park, and unveiled that he had sequestered the drone inside his jacket, as outlined in a statement by the DOJ.
Further investigation into the incident, which included a search of Zhou's drone conducted under a federal warrant, revealed several photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base taken by the drone. Authorities have not disclosed Zhou’s motive for photographing the base or what intentions he may have had for the images, KTLA noted.
These details have raised questions, though prosecutors have yet to divulge any speculations regarding Zhou's motives or intended use for the images captured of the base. If convicted on the charges laid out against him, Zhou could face up to four years in federal prison, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The FBI has been tagged to assist with the continuing investigation into this case.
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