NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A 26-year-old man on Long Island is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting down a drone this weekend.
Suffolk County police say the group Missing Angels—Long Island was looking for a lost dog with the drone over Rutherford Street in Saint James Saturday afternoon.
That's when Gerard Chasteen came out of his house with a shotgun and fired at the drone three times from his yard, according to police.
The drone, which is owned by Missing Angels' Lynn Fodale, went down and was destroyed.
Fodale told 1010 WINS that at first she thought a bird had hit the device.
"When I got over there I saw a gentleman walking his dog, and I said, 'Did you see a drone? I think it was taken out by a bird.' And he said, 'Honey, that was no bird. It was the gentleman living at that house just shot it down with his shotgun.'"
When police arrived, they asked Fodale if she wanted to press charges.
"We said, 'We want him to pay for our drone! We don't want to press charges. We just want our drone back,'" she said. "They said, 'Unfortunately you can't shoot a firearm into the air in a residential area.' So that's when he got arrested."
Chasteen was charged with criminal mischief and prohibited use of a weapon.
Police say multiple shotguns were confiscated from his home.
