VIDEO: Laser pointer aimed at police helicopter leads to charges in Oshawa

An Oshawa man is accused of aiming a laser pointer at the Durham Police Air1 helicopter “creating an immediate and serious safety risk” to the officers aboard.

Air1 was patrolling the city, as it does nightly, when it was struck by a green laser. Investigators tracked the origin of the laser to Deer Valley Drive and Snowbird Street, a residential area up by the Oshawa Airport.

Police said the repeated laser hits created “an immediate and serious safety risk by endangering the lives of those onboard” the chopper. They found the laser came from a group of three men wandering the streets in the area.

The laser bombarded the helicopter on and off for around 12 minutes. The person aiming it eventually left the driveway the laser was coming from but continued to hit the chopper as they walked away.

With help from the K-9 unit, officers arrested a man on the block. They found the laser pointer a little ways up the street.

Arsh Sharma, 27 of Oshawa is charged with:

• two counts of mischief endangering life,
• public intoxication, and
• failure to appear in court

He’s been released with conditions.

Pointing a laser at any aircraft is a serious hazard to that aircraft’s operation. They can distract or even flash-blind the pilot during delicate maneuvers. In extreme scenarios lasers can permanently damage the pilot’s eyes.

Between 2015 and 2019, Transport Canada recorded nearly 2,000 laser attacks on aircraft. “It’s a disturbing statistic,” wrote Stats Can, “it means the safety of pilots, crew and passengers was put at risk during each laser attack.”

The penalty for interfering with the safe operation of an aircraft is steep. If convicted, one can face up to $100,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.

A male is facing charges after he repeatedly directed a laser at DRPS’s Air1 helicopter while it was in flight, endangering the lives of the pilot and those onboard, on Friday, October 25, 2024. pic.twitter.com/wDjuB42qre

— Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) October 28, 2024

Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 2531 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).