LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A 56-year-old Culver City man has agreed to plead guilty to “recklessly operating a drone” that ended up crashing into and damaging a Super Scooper as it was fighting the Palisades Fire earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
In the plea agreement, Peter Tripp Akemann admitted to “illegal conduct in flying the drone that posed an imminent safety hazard to the Super Scooper crew,” the DOJ stated in a news release.
The collision damaged the wing of the SuperScooper Quebec 1 on Jan. 9, forcing it to be taken out of service two days after the fire erupted.
“This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.”
Investigators determined that while the wildfire was burning in and around Pacific Palisades, Akemann drove to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and launched his drone from the top floor of the parking structure to observe damage caused by the fire.
With federal prosecutors filing the offense as a misdemeanor, Akemann could face up to one year in federal prison.
“As part of the plea agreement, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the Government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that repaired the plane,” the DOJ stated. The costs to repair the plane were at least $65,000, according to the release.
Akemann will also have to complete 150 hours of community service supporting the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort as part of the agreement.
The Palisades Fire broke out on Jan. 7, spreading quickly amid severely windy conditions before charring nearly 24,000 acres and destroying thousands of homes.
The firefight has sparked controversy over the Los Angeles Fire Department’s staffing and water supplies, which firefighters reported were running dry.
Officials say 12 people were killed in the blaze, the cause of which is believed to have “human” origins, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
