A man has been arrested after a Dallas police helicopter was struck multiple times by a green laser early Monday morning.
The police department said a green laser was aimed at Air One at about 4 a.m. when it was assisting officers in the search for a person who was breaking into cars near the 8000 block of Umphress Road.
After multiple strikes, the pilots located the source of the laser and directed officers on the ground to investigate.
Officers found and arrested Kenneth Santodomingo, 22.
A friend of Santodomingo's said Santodomingo bought the laser on eBay and had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette when he "just aimed it up at the sky" and saw the helicopter and pointed it one time.
The friend also said that Santodomingo is not a criminal.
Santodomingo is charged with illuminating an aircraft with a laser pointer, The Associated Press reported.
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Dallas police released video of the incident on its YouTube page.
A report of an aircraft laser strike was made to the Federal Aviation Administration, police said.
The FAA said pilots flying into North Texas airports in the last year have reported more than 100 incidents, including 37 at Dallas Love Field, 49 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and 13 at Fort Worth Alliance, Spinks and Meacham airports.
