Man facing felony charges connected to drone usage during Ravens Wild Card game, officials say

By Jake Shindel

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — A man has been charged in connection with illegal drone usage during the Ravens Wild Card game on Jan. 11, officials said.

Officials said Alexis Perez Suarez, 43, of Baltimore, flew a drone over M&T Bank Stadium despite the Federal Aviation Administration placing a temporary flight restriction in place over the stadium during the game.

It comes after the FBI warned of stiff penalties for flying drones over the Ravens Wild Card game, a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“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,” special agent in charge William DelBagno with the FBI’s Baltimore field office said in a news release.

The release said play was temporarily stopped because the drone was “deemed a serious enough threat.”

Suarez could face a maximum of three years in federal prison if found guilty, according to the press release.

“We are very serious about temporary flight restrictions,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek Barron said in the news release. “You will be charged and held accountable for any incursion into restricted airspace, including around sports and entertainment venues such as the Super Bowl.”

Last year, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office charged a man for illegally flying a drone over M&T Bank Stadium during the team’s AFC Championship game against the Chiefs.

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