'Why we can't have nice things': Green Day drone operator could face $30K fine
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The individual who flew a drone over the Green Day concert at Comerica Park could face a hefty fine of up to $30,000 after violating airspace regulations.
Comerica Park hosted a Green Day concert on Wednesday night, which was briefly interrupted, causing alarm when the band abruptly left the stage.
During the show, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong darted offstage at the behest of security. Detroit Police later clarified the disruption was due to a drone flying over the spectators.
"All of a sudden, you just see everybody vanishing. People running offstage, some type of fan came onstage," Green Day enthusiast Brian Gorie recounted.
State Sen. Dayna Polehanki shared her experience from the event on social media, accompanied by video footage of the incident.
"Billie Joe Armstrong and all of Green Day just ran offstage. Not sure what is happening here in Detroit…" she wrote on the platform.
She continued her post-event reaction with, "They're back after about a five-minute pause. A punk rock band filling a ballpark will never not amaze me! Long live Green Day."
"Billie Joe just yelled, 'No motherf***er's gonna stop us!'"
However, the concert proceeded without further issues.
"The song that was interrupted just picked up where it left off," Gorie said.
Jim Thorburn, retired officer and certified drone operator, emphasized the importance of following drone regulations.
"This is exactly why we can't have nice things. This is why there are so many rules. People often question the need for numerous regulations, but then something utterly foolish like this happens, which I presume they didn't realize was prohibited," Thorburn commented.
According to Thorburn, the Detroit Police acted appropriately by swiftly evacuating the stage. The authorities apprehended the drone pilot in the vicinity shortly after.
"The regulation is clear: for gatherings exceeding 30,000 individuals, you must not fly a drone. You're required to maintain a buffer zone of three nautical miles and cannot descend below 3,000 feet. Since a drone's maximum altitude is 400 feet, by abiding by these guidelines, you shouldn't encounter any problems," he explained. "The fact that the operator was caught so quickly suggests to me they were likely inexperienced."
Detroit Police have reported the matter has been escalated to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While the FAA does not possess prosecutorial powers, they are authorized to issue penalties exceeding $30,000 to the drone operator and have the capacity to suspend or revoke their license.