BRANDON, Fla. — Deputies have arrested a 56-year-old man after he reportedly shined a laser at a helicopter belonging to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday morning.
At 4:24 a.m., the helicopter was disturbed by a bright green laser several times while the pilot was doing surveillance in the Brandon area, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
A short time after, deputies say they were able to find William Lee and arrest him for the misuse of a laser lighting device.
"Shining a laser at a pilot or aircraft is extremely dangerous and illegal," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Pointing a laser can distract or temporarily blind the pilot. The light can often spread so much that a pilot cannot avoid it.
"This irresponsible behavior posed an imminent threat to the safety of our pilot and tactical flight deputy."
The sheriff's office says this marks the second arrest for someone pointing a laser at an aircraft within a couple of weeks.
"HCSO asks the community never to shine a laser into the sky or at an aircraft," the news release reads. "The consequences could be deadly."
Last year, 9,457 laser strikes were reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, authorities say.