Bradenton man charged with pointing green laser at sheriff’s helicopter
A 46-year-old Bradenton was arrested after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said he pointed a laser at their helicopter on Saturday night.
At about 8:50 p.m., the sheriff’s office Aviation Unit was helping deputies with a call when the pilot and the observation deputy on-board noticed a light flashing at the helicopter, according to a news release. The aviation deputies spotted the suspect pointing a green laser light in their direction multiple times and were quickly able to determine he was in the 300 block of 16th Street. East.
Patrol deputies found Alejandro Bautista Wvalle with the guidance of the aviation suspect. Deputies arrested Wvalle and charged him with pointing a laser device at an aircraft.
According to deputies, Wvalle “admitted to shining the laser light in the sky, saying he was unaware that what he was doing was against the law.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 2:02 PM.
