2 charged, 1 sought after separate incidents of lasers striking police helicopter
Posted May 27, 2020 12:04 pm.
Two men are facing several charges and a third suspect is being sought in separate incidents involving a York regional police helicopter being struck by lasers.
In the first incident on May 21, the Air2 helicopter was flying over the area of Rutherford Road and Islington Avenue in Vaughan at around 11:25 p.m. when a green laser began targeting it.
Video released by police shows a blinding beam striking the aircraft, while a crew member declares: “We are getting hit.”
“The crew engaged in safety measures and were able to direct officers to the location of the suspect outside of a residence on Ronan Crescent,” police said in a release.
A 44-year-old Vaughan man was arrested and has been charged with mischief endangering life, endanger security of an aircraft in flight and unlawfully project bright light into navigable airspace.
A day later, the crew faced a similar circumstance when the Air2 was flying in the Birchmount Road and Enterprise Boulevard area of Markham assisting in a separate investigation just before midnight.
Police say a person believed to be on a balcony of a hotel on Birchmount Road targeted the helicopter several times with a laser.
A 52-year-old Markham man was arrested and charged with mischief endangering life, endanger security of an aircraft in flight, unlawfully project bright light into navigable airspace and obstruct police.
The next day, May 23, it happened again. This time, the helicopter was on general patrol in the area of Bathurst Street and Jefferson Sideroad in Richmond Hill at 11:30 p.m. when it was struck by a laser.
In that instance, the suspect has not yet been identified and an investigation is ongoing.
“York Regional Police reminds the public of the potential harm laser pointers can cause. Health Canada warns that a split-second look into a laser pointer can result in a condition called flash blindness,” police said in a release. “Those who aim these pointers at aircraft are putting lives in danger, not only in the aircraft but on the ground, as there is a significant potential for harm to the pilot as well as the prospect of a crash.”
