COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus man was taken into custody early Sunday morning after he allegedly interfered with the operation of both a medical-transport helicopter and a police chopper by aiming a powerful green laser into the cockpit.
The pilot of a Life Flight helicopter lifting off from Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus early Sunday morning failed to find the humor in a laser beam shining into his cockpit.
The pilot of a Columbus Police helicopter did not appreciate it when it happened to them a few minutes later.
Now 22-year-old Jared Shapiro of Columbus is charged with two felony counts of interfering with the operation of an aircraft with a laser.
Police arrested Shapiro at his apartment on South Third Street Sunday morning.
Authorities said they found the laser attached to a high-powered rifle.
It's the second laser incident in Central Ohio in the past week.
Shapiro was arraigned Monday morning and given a $50,000 cash surety bond. His next court date was set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30.
After the incidents, pilot circles are not sure how they feel.
Chopper 4 Pilot Spencer Hardin had a close call with a laser pointer last year.
"(I) wasn't expecting it and (the) cockpit glowed bright red. Luckily, it was only a split second," Hardin said.
But the incident was enough to get Hardin's attention. He said he knows from training what kind of damage laser pointers can cause. A second or two longer could have meant a total loss of control and tragedy.
"If you get hit and (you're) not ready, you see two or three minutes worth of red, blue, green blobs in front of you," Hardin said.
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