Florida sheriff: Man with laser temporarily blinded chopper pilot

By Scott Heidler

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    BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — The Brevard County Sheriff’s Department says a man is in custody after shining a light at a law enforcement helicopter.

On Sunday night, as a manhunt was underway on the ground, a Brevard County sheriff’s office helicopter was helping to track leads from the air. That was until someone aimed a laser at them.

The pilot of the STAR helicopter could be heard on a recording of the incident given to WESH 2 News by the sheriff’s office.

“A green laser beam now hitting us multiple times,” the pilot said.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey says the incident endangered the pilot’s life by temporarily blinding him.

The suspect Dean Beolet was tracked down and arrested by Palm Bay Police Department officers on the ground. He faces a felony charge.

The Federal Aviation Administration keeps track of these “laser strikes” every year. The latest numbers from 2021 are the highest number ever recorded at 9,723. That’s up nearly 3,000 from the year before.

“The FAA has made a concerted effort to report and track laser incidents. Because the incidences’ impact can be so severe,” Mike McCormick of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University said.

As part of the FAA’s effort, messages have been sent out to pilots and air traffic control across the country to report all laser incidents.

Any incident can be severe, but what happened on Sunday was even more dangerous.

“The most recent activity with the sheriff’s deputy flying the helicopter was exacerbated by the fact that the pilot was wearing night vision goggles,” McCormick said.

He meant that the pilot would lose complete visibility from the laser strike, but luckily the co-pilot was able to take over.

The helicopter pilot Brandon McIntyre was given a medical check after the incident and was cleared to fly.

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