A 48-year-old Santa Ana man was sentenced this week in Los Angeles federal court to the maximum of five years in prison for intentionally aiming a laser at an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
Eric Suarez admitted that on April 13, 2020, he was sitting alone in his parked car when he “intentionally pointed a high-intensity green laser beam” at the helicopter, striking the cockpit at least four times with the beam.
The beam blinded the pilot and tactical flight officer for several seconds, impacting their ability to see the ground and detect hazards, according to his plea agreement.
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Shortly before law enforcement stopped Suarez’s car, the defendant threw his laser pointer out of the window, but officers quickly found the device.
In 2015, Suarez was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of unlawful discharge of a laser at an occupied aircraft, prosecutors wrote in papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.