Police in Tampa, Florida arrested a 26-year-old man on Monday who is accused of shining a green laser directly at an airborne police helicopter as it traveled through the night sky.
A 46-second video that the Tampa Police Department shared on social media shows two instances after midnight on Monday in which a green laser emanating from a nearby apartment building pierces into the helicopter, obfuscating the view. Police were able to track the origin of the laser to an apartment, where they arrested Juan Lozada-Zamorano.
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Lozada-Zamorano was charged with misuse of a laser lighting device. Under Florida law, it’s a third-degree felony to shine the beam of a laser at any motor vehicle, water vessel or aircraft.
The helicopter pilots were not injured, but Officer Stefon Filer, a spokesman with Tampa police, stressed the dangers of shining lasers at any aircraft.
“It causes a distraction to pilots and it also messes up their video feed,” Filer told USA TODAY. “It literally blinds them for a second or two, but we also can’t differentiate whether that’s a weapon or just a laser.”
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.
