Wyandotte Man Faces Charges in Police Helicopter Laser Beam Incident

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WYANDOTTE, MI – A 39-year-old Wyandotte man is the subject of a federal investigation for allegedly shining a laser pointer at a Michigan State Police helicopter over Detroit Wednesday night, leaving a tactical flight officer on board with temporary blindness and headaches, police said Thursday.

Two police officers were aboard the helicopter, known as Trooper 2, when the suspect shined the bright blue laser beam directly into the officer's night goggles, according media reports.

Shining a laser pointer at an aircraft may seem like harmless fun, but it can have deadly consequences.When a laser beam hits a plane windshield, it can light up the whole cockpit, causing pilots to temporarily lose vision.

The light intensifies the higher the altitude, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is disorienting to the pilot. The FBI has said it is equivalent to a flash of a camera in a pitch-black environment.

Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw told the Detroit Free Press the officer was treated and released from a local hospital after the incident, which occurred about 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, but won’t be able to return to work for a couple of days.

The injured officer wasn’t the pilot, but was assisting the pilot with navigation, mapping and other responsibilities.

Detroit Police Officer Brian Gadwell told WJBK-TV the suspect was arrested a short time after the incident and was turned over to the FBI.

"You can't shine lasers into somebody's eyes — especially somebody who is flying a $5 million state-owned aircraft,” Gadwell said.

The FBI isn’t commenting, but Shaw confirmed to the Free Press and Gadwell confirmed to WJBK-TV that the federal agency is investigating the incident.

In November, an airplane approaching the Detroit Metro Airport was among almost two dozen aircraft across the country hit in a wave of laser beam attacks.

The video below, produced for the U.S. Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration, shows how dangerous laser beams can be for pilots.

»Screenshot and video via YouTube