As firefighters struggled to control the devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles in early January, a drone operator sought a bird’s eye view, resulting in their drone colliding with a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft. This individual has now been identified as Peter Akemann—famed as the co-founder of Treyarch, known for its work on the Call of Duty series.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that Akemann has agreed to plead guilty to “one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft.” In addition to compensating Quebec for the damage caused to the aircraft—which was leased from Canada—he will also perform 150 hours of community service.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Akemann flew the drone from a Santa Monica parking garage, losing sight of it at a distance of at least a mile-and-a-half before it hit the plane. Fortunately, the two crew members onboard were not injured, but the aircraft was temporarily grounded due to an approximately 3-inch-by-6-inch hole in the left wing, incurring repair costs of at least $65,169.

The FAA has prohibited drone flights in wildfire areas due to safety concerns for emergency responders. Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally stated, “This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property. This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises overall emergency operations.”

Acknowledging his actions, Akemann expressed being deeply sorry for the incident, as conveyed by his lawyers.

Peter Akemann co-founded Treyarch in the 1990s, which was acquired by Activision in 2001. Following that, he co-founded The Workshop, a studio involved with major titles such as Gears of War 4 and XCOM 2. This studio was later transformed into Skydance Interactive, where Akemann served as president for a period.