Ventura County Helicopter Crew Experiences Laser Strike

On the evening of 06/25/2024, Ventura County Sheriff Copter 3 was conducting patrol operations when the crew chief and pilot experienced a laser strike incident.

At the time of the laser strike, members of the Ventura County Aviation Unit were assisting
with a search for a missing at-risk person in the Ojai Valley.

The incident occurred at about 2034 hours, and members of the crew were able to locate the origin of the laser to a residence located in the 1900 block of Tiara Drive. Ojai patrol deputies responded to the residence and located a male juvenile who was later determined to be responsible for the laser pointing. The juvenile was cited for Penal Code Section 247.5 (discharge of a laser at an aircraft) and released to his parents.

While pointing a laser at an aircraft may seem harmless, it can impair the crew’s ability to safely fly the aircraft and can cause permanent damage to their eyesight. A laser strike has its own penal code statute due to the risk to the public caused by an incapacitated or blinded pilot. California Penal Code section 247.5 carries a maximum term in state prison of three years.

Any person who willfully and maliciously discharges a laser at an aircraft, whether in motion or in flight, while occupied, is guilty of a violation of this section, which shall be punishable as either a misdemeanor by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or a felony by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, two years, or three years, or by a fine of two thousand dollars ($2,000).

The Ventura County Aviation Unit is a partnership between the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Ventura County Fire Department. Together the agencies provide staffing to the unit and respond to a variety of missions to include firefighting, search and rescue, medical calls, and law enforcement. The unit is staffed 365 days a year with highly trained Firefighters and sworn law enforcement personnel.  The Aviation Unit patrols and responds to all cites and areas of Ventura County regardless of which municipal police or fire department has primary jurisdiction.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships.