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A 30-year-old Sykesville man was arrested and charged with shining a laser pointer at a Maryland State Police helicopter early Monday morning.
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Connor Grant Brown is charged with reckless endangerment, obstructing and hindering and shining a laser pointer at an aircraft, state police said. Additional charges may be added, police said.
State police said they were providing aviation support to the Carroll Countys Sheriffs Office at 1:05 a.m. in the area of the 800 block of Klees Mill Road in Westminster. The cockpit of the aircraft was hit by a green laser beam approximately eight times, they said.
State police said the crew was forced to abort its mission in an attempt to locate the source of the laser beam. From a pilot's perspective, a beam of light like the laser can have devastating consequences, officials said.
"They were literally attacked by laser beams coming from a different area in Carroll County," MSP spokeswoman Elena Russo said.
The origin of the laser came was determined to be a home in the 1200 block of Canterbury Drive, police said. Investigators said Brown, who lives at that address, operated the laser device that struck the helicopter. The laser device was recovered and Brown was arrested.
WBAL-TV 11 News tried to talk to Brown about the incident, but no one responded at his home.
"This is a very serious incident for people working inside an aircraft to be hit with a laser beams. These high-powered beams can cause temporary blindness. They can cause damage to somebody's retina, so not only does it cause problems for people on board the aircraft, but it could also be catastrophic for anybody on the ground, should they lose control of the aircraft," Russo said.
The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified of the incident. Directing light from a laser pointer at an aircraft can also be prosecuted as a federal crime.
The pilot and the crew chief of the helicopter, both of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, suffered eye injuries in the incident. They were taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital for treatment and were later released, police said.
The helicopter had four people on board. The light affected two of them.
"A pilot and trooper paramedic on board were both affected by these laser beams. They were transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where they are undergoing some medical treatment, and I know there is some follow-up going on with an ophthalmologist," Russo said.
Brown was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to be in court on March 24.
Sykesville man charged with shining laser pointer at MSP helicopter
