Man arrested for shining green laser at Tampa police helicopter
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.
Early this morning at 12:19 a.m., Tampa PD helicopter pilots advised that they were hit twice with a green laser from an apartment complex off Busch Boulevard and 56th Street. Temple Terrace and Tampa PD officers were able to identify the apartment from which the laser originated and took 26-year-old Juan Lozada-Zamorano into custody. He was transported to Orient Road Jail and charged with one count of Misuse of Laser Lighting Device. The helicopter pilots involved did not sustain injuries from the laser.As a reminder, and per Florida State Statute, it is a third-degree felony for any person who knowingly and willfully shines, points, or focuses the beam of a laser lighting device on an individual operating a motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft.
Posted by Tampa Police Department on Monday, July 3, 2023
The arrest marks the second time in as many weeks that a man in Florida has been charged and accused for flashing a laser at law enforcement. On June 26, a 34-year-old Port St. Lucie resident was arrested after it was alleged that he pointed a laser device toward a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, reported The TC Palm, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The man told investigators he pointed the laser at the aircraft because he thought it was a drone following him, according to the TC Palm.
In Tampa, 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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida man arrested for shining green laser at Tampa police helicopter
