Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Authorities say they’ve cited a man with illegally flying a drone that landed at a park near the White House.
U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service say officers spotted the drone flying near the Washington Monument around 1:20 a.m. Friday and made contact after the operator lost control and the drone landed on the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House.
U.S. Park Police say that Howard Solomon III of Washington, D.C., was cited with launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft and that the drone was confiscated. Reached by phone, Solomon says he was trying to take pictures of the monument and the wind blew the drone across the street.
Washington and communities within a 15-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are part of a “No Drone Zone” under rules adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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