Man Charged With Pointing Laser From Lorton Balcony At Fairfax County Police Helicopter

LORTON, VA — Fairfax County police charged a 25-year-old man accused of pointing a laser from an apartment balcony in Lorton at a police helicopter flying above on March 11.

At around 11:30 p.m. on March 11, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Fairfax 1 helicopter was flying above the Lorton apartment complex, helping the Virginia State Police search for someone who had run away from state troopers, police said.

While helping the Virginia State Police, the Fairfax 1 crew noticed someone pointing a laser at the helicopter. The crew then used the chopper’s FLIR system — a thermal imaging infrared camera — and discovered the laser was coming from an apartment balcony in the 9200 block of Ashland Woods Lane in Lorton, according to police.

Detectives from the FCPD’s Special Investigation Division were able to identify the 25-year-old man and arrested him on the charge of interference with the operation of an aircraft. He was released on a secured bond, police said.

"Pointing a laser at an aircraft is illegal and also a very bad idea when that aircraft is a police helicopter," the FCPD said in a tweet Wednesday.