Federal authorities are investigating a man who allegedly interrupted a Green Day concert at Comerica Park Wednesday night by flying a drone onto the stage.
The band was ushered off stage at about 8:50 p.m. as the band performed its hit single “Longview.” The concert resumed about 10 minutes later.
Detroit police officials said the interruption was the result of a man flying a drone into the stadium. The man was questioned but not arrested, Detroit Police Sgt. Daren Zhou said.
“We’ve forwarded the case to the (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration),” Zhou said.
The FAA bans the flying of drones in and around a radius of 3 nautical miles of stadiums or venues starting one hour before and ending one hour after the scheduled time of major event.
FAA spokesperson Eva Ngai said, “The FAA investigates all reports of potentially hazardous drone operations.”
The spokesperson added that although the agency doesn’t have the power to pursue criminal charges, it can fine “drone operators who endanger other aircraft or people on the ground” to fines “that exceed $30,000. In addition, the FAA can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.”
The FAA’s website said drone operators who conduct unsafe or unauthorized operations face fines up to $75,000 per violation, an increase included in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
But the rules haven’t discouraged occasional rogue operators.
In 2022, play at a Stanford-University of Washington football game was stopped for 10 minutes by a drone as well as an Atlanta Falcons-Seattle Seahawks game in Seattle. In 2020, unpermitted drones interrupted five Major League Baseball games, according to the Commercial UAV News, while three professional soccer matches in Europe were delayed in 2022.
___
© 2024 The Detroit News
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
