Cops in Volusia County in Florida are getting tough on laser attacks on police helicopters with two arrests within 24 hours.In the first incident on Tuesday, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Air One helicopter was struck by a man in a boat who later claimed he thought it was a drone.An Edgewater man on a boat who pointed a laser at the Air One helicopter found police officers waiting for him and his friends when they returned with their boat to the dock and were told they had committed a felony.Ryan Hutton, 29, was arrested without incident after Air One led a deputy and police officer to his boat on the Intracoastal Waterway.The green laser pointer was recovered from the boat.
Hutton said he pointed it at the helicopter thinking it was a drone.At the time of the incident shortly after 7 a.m., Air One was in flight on a burglary call when the laser beam hit the right side of the aircraft, illuminated the cockpit and hit the pilot in the right eye.It caused partial loss of vision for 3 to 5 minutes, which the pilot described as similar to having a flash bulb go off in front of his eye.Hutton was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he posted USD 5,000 bond.