A man has been charged after allegedly aiming a high-powered laser at the Otago Rescue Helicopter last night.
Police said they were alerted to a laser being pointed at the aircraft for four minutes in north Oamaru around 10pm.
Following the laser strike, the helicopter flew to a house and followed a man as he got into a car and drove out onto Thames Highway, heading north.
The man then went into a covered petrol station in an attempt to evade the aircraft. However, police officers attending on the ground stopped the driver, who allegedly admitted to shining the laser.
Police said a laser was seized from the front seat of the vehicle.
Oamaru Police Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said the laser being directed at a helicopter for four minutes was “incredibly irresponsible and dangerous”.
“Pointing a laser at any aircraft can affect a pilot’s ability to safely control the plane or helicopter and can cause loss of vision.
“Even from several metres — or even kilometres — this can cause serious harm.
“Emergency services and our community rely on that chopper service and putting the chopper pilot at risk puts people’s lives at risk.”
A 39-year-old local man was due to appear in the Oamaru District Court on November 27, charged with endangering transport.
‘Sick of it’: Rescue helicopter boss on laser strike incidents
Helicopters Otago managing director Graeme Gale told 1News the incident was “seriously, seriously dangerous” and that there had been “quite a number” of similar cases this year.
“We don’t go flying at night for fun, we’re on life-saving missions,” he said.
The helicopter was on its way back from dropping off a critically injured patient in Christchurch when it was struck by the laser.
The pilot was in a position to go and track the source, he said.
“We will go out of our way to make sure that we identify and locate where the laser is coming from.”
Gale said he hoped anyone convicted of the crime received the “maximum sentence”.
He said he was “sick of it”.
“Sooner or later, it’s going to cause a catastrophic accident that blinds the pilot and kills everyone onboard.”
— additional reporting by James Ball.
