Power was restored to Southern California Edison customers in West Hollywood by about 5:45 p.m. according to a SoCal Edison spokesman. The latest high-profile drone incident further ensures that drone piloting will remain a privilege and not a right, though rightly so, as a few people apparently can’t exercise enough common sense to stay away from populated areas (i.e. Los Angeles) and critical city infrastructure (i.e. power lines).
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“All the sudden you just see a flash, like a boom and sparks, and you could see the drone dropping to the ground”, KABC producer Chris Gordon, who witnessed the incident, said.
Officials in Los Angeles told Ars that a small drone knocked out power to hundreds of Hollywood residents after it crashed into an overhead electrical wire.
There are regulations in place forcing drone owners to fly their aircraft at a safe distance from buildings – and incidents like this are part of the reason why.
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Meanwhile, the search for the drone pilot continues. Investigators found bits of the drone on the ground along with one of its propellers, Ramirez said. Last week, the U.S. Transportation secretary announced plans to require owners of recreational drones to register them with the government like commercial drone owners do.
