"Boredom" Leads to Laser Incident with Police Helicopter

A 13-year-old boy in Florida has been charged with a felony after he pointed a laser at a police helicopter. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office stated that the helicopter was in the air on Thursday morning when a green laser was directed towards it. After pursuing the boy, law enforcement found a flare gun equipped with a green laser in his jacket. The teenager admitted to pointing the laser at the helicopter because he was bored. While in the back of the police car, the boy was heard telling deputies, "I didn't know it was a police helicopter." He has been charged with misuse of a laser lighting device. According to Florida state law, anyone who knowingly and intentionally beams or directs a laser light at a person operating a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft is committing a third-degree felony.