California v. Sun
Annotate this CaseLate one night, two officers were piloting a police helicopter when a laser struck their cockpit multiple times. The windshield on the aircraft refracted the light from the laser throughout the cockpit, which restricted the officers’ visibility and gave one of them a headache. However, they were able to trace the source of the laser to appellant Mengyan Sun's apartment, and officers arrested appellant there a short time later. Appellant was charged with two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault on a peace officer. He argued on appeal his prosecution for that general offense was precluded by statutes that specifically pertain to the unlawful use of a laser. The Court of Appeal agreed and reversed his convictions for assault with a deadly weapon. The Court published its opinion "to underscore the continued vitality and adaptability of the venerable Williamson rule, which we believe has aged well."
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.