13-Year-Old Florida Boy Charged With Felony After Shining Laser at Helicopter Because He ‘Was Bored’: Cops

A 13-year-old boy in Florida is facing a felony charge after he pointed a laser at a helicopter piloted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and told investigators he did so because he “was bored,” authorities said.

Deputies in the helicopter radioed for assistance after being blinded by green laser lights being flashed at them, according to bodycam footage released by the sheriff’s department.

“Get up and get somebody on this gentleman. He’s blinding our pilot,” a deputy is heard telling colleagues on the ground.

As the helicopter tracked the light, they radioed locations to deputies in patrol cars, according to the video.

Deputies who stopped the teen found a flare gun with a mounted green laser in his jacket, according to the department.

The boy said he was shining the laser because he “was bored,” according to sheriff’s deputies.

While seated in the back of a squad vehicle, the boy apparently says, “I didn’t know it was a police helicopter,” according to the video.

He has been charged with one felony count of misusing a laser lighting device, the department said.

The boy is being held at the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center and the incident remains under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can impose civil penalties of up to $11,000 for each violation of pointing a laser at an aircraft. The FAA can also impose up to $30,800 for multiple incidents