A 17-year-old was arrested Sunday night for pointing a green laser at a Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) helicopter.
The incident occurred along Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers while the LCSO aviation unit was responding to a call.
Lee County deputies responded quickly, tracking the laser's source and identifying the suspect as 17-year-old Franky Lopez.
Deputies arrested Lopez on charges of misuse of a laser lighting device while aiming the laser at an aviation pilot, a third-degree felony. During the search of the area, deputies also found the laser and a bag of marijuana.
The dangers of shining a laser at an aircraft are significant, according to Alex Petrikas, a local commercial airline pilot.
Petrikas said the laser could temporarily blind a pilot or cause permanent vision damage. He emphasized the severity of the issue, saying even small lasers—like the one picked up at a dollar store—can cause dangerous effects when aimed at aircraft.
Petrikas said, "I've been hit with a laser pointer, and it is extremely disorienting. Not only are you not expecting it because you're up in the air, but when it hits you the immediate impact, it can really disorient you, and it can give you headaches that can really affect your vision."
"Anything that bright has an extreme risk of blinding the pilots, whether it be temporarily or long-term effects as well. A laser pointer, immediate impacts from that can cause temporary spotting of your eyes. Just like if you were to look into a flashlight, close your eyes. They call it a blinding effect where it actually has, like, like a photo effect afterwards," said Petrikas.
"The most important message to get out to everybody is that whether you're not sure it's an airplane, a star, you know, a rocket, whatever it is, never, ever, ever shine your laser lights in the air. Because if it is an airplane or any sort of manned vehicle, it can cause incredible orientation, God forbid, lead to something much, much worse," said Petrikas.
In a follow-up, deputies attempted to contact Lopez's parents but were unable to reach them. As a result, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) was contacted.