A Dunedin man’s alleged laser antics ended in a felony arrest early Friday, after deputies say he repeatedly pointed a blue laser at a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office helicopter that was in the air assisting Clearwater police. Flight crew members reported that the beam struck the cockpit twice, briefly lighting up the flight deck and distracting the pilots. The suspect, identified as 62-year-old Eric Gelman, was taken into custody on a felony count of misuse of a laser lighting device and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by Tampa Bay 28, the helicopter crew traced the laser to a Dunedin home and directed patrol deputies to the address. Deputies at the scene recovered what authorities described as a blue laser device and arrested Gelman. The sheriff’s office said the helicopter made it safely back to its hangar and was taken out of service for inspection while investigators sort through what happened.
How Deputies Traced the Beam
Flight deputies kept visual contact with the laser from above and guided ground units to the 1200 block of Sunset Lane, where investigators say they found the device and made the arrest, per IONTB. Local reporting indicates the laser was recovered at the scene and that Gelman was booked on a third-degree felony charge. The sheriff’s office has not said why the laser was allegedly aimed at the aircraft and noted that the investigation remains active.
Legal Risk and Federal Focus
Under Florida law, knowingly shining a handheld laser at someone operating a vehicle, vessel or aircraft is a third-degree felony, per the Florida Senate. Federal law also makes aiming a laser at an aircraft a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 39A, according to Justia, with potential penalties that include up to five years in prison. The FAA has labeled laser strikes a serious safety hazard and reported nearly 12,840 pilot-reported incidents in 2024, urging anyone who sees these attacks to alert law enforcement.
A Local Pattern
The Dunedin case is the latest in a run of laser incidents in Pinellas County. In June, deputies arrested a man in Clearwater who was accused of aiming a laser at a sheriff’s helicopter from the Memorial Causeway, according to deputies nab biker accused of zapping sheriff’s chopper. Local agencies say aviation units regularly coordinate with patrol deputies to track the origin of beams and move in quickly when an aircraft is targeted. In some cases, federal prosecutors and the FAA have added civil fines or federal charges on top of state counts.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has not yet said whether federal authorities will seek charges in the Dunedin case and told reporters the investigation is ongoing, as reported by Tampa Bay 28. Officials say members of the public who see someone aiming a laser at an aircraft should call 911 and can also file a report with the FAA to help investigators track and enforce against these incidents.
