Man accused of pointing laser at Trump's helicopter

U.S. authorities charged a man with pointing a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter as it took off from the White House with Donald Trump on board. That's what a court document filed Monday showed.

The affidavit explained that a Secret Service agent saw Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, project a red beam of light from outside the White House compound in the direction of the Marine One helicopter during takeoff on Saturday.

Winkler was arrested at the scene and charged with pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

Winkler's conduct posed "a risk of momentary blinding and disorientation to the pilot, especially during a low-altitude flight near other helicopters (Park Police, Marine Corps)."

"This placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision," he stressed.

After being handcuffed, Winkler "knelt down and started saying things like, '“I should apologize to Donald Trump (...) I apologize to Donald Trump'," according to the statement signed by the Secret Service agent.

Winkler later told authorities that he did not know he could not point the laser at Marine One and that he "points the laser at all sorts of things, like stop signs."

The document does not mention whether anyone aboard the helicopter noticed the laser.