Seminole County Sheriff's Office helicopter repeatedly targeted by laser beam

LAKE MARY, Fla. - The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said its Alert One helicopter was on patrol over the weekend when someone targeted the cockpit with a green laser beam.

The helicopter was flying over the area of State Road 436 and Oxford Road in Casselberry around 6:40 p.m. at the time of the incident. 

"I was able to locate the origin of the laser.  It was coming from the back patio of an apartment located at Casselberry," wrote Deputy Sheriff Christopher Knight in a report. "I coordinated with ground units, so a suspect could be identified."

Casselberry police officers and a Seminole County sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and stood by to see if the helicopter would be struck by a laser in their presence.  The 
suspect never came back onto the patio while ground units were present.  

"I advised the ground units of the suspects physical descriptors, and they approached the apartment front door to make contact.  Ground units were able to briefly speak with a few occupants of the apartment," the report states.  "The occupants were not cooperative, and the ground units were not able to make any identifications."

Repeated laser strikes are very dangerous to pilots and can cause temporary blindness and potential eye damage, the Sheriff's Office said.  It is considered a felony offense.

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