Video shows man resisting arrest after shining laser at aircraft, Manatee deputies say
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Thursday night after he allegedly pointed a laser at an incoming plane at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s Aviation Unit overheard air traffic control at the airport radioing about an incoming aircraft that was hit by a green laser light at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a press release. Deputies say air traffic control said the laser light appeared to come from an area near Lakewood Ranch High School.
While the sheriff’s helicopter was responding to the call at the 5500 block of Lakewood Ranch Blvd., the sheriff’s office said an additional call came in about a person being pointed at by the same green laser light.
But Nicholas Clayton, a 35-year-old South Carolina man, refused to get out of his vehicle after he was pulled over, the sheriff’s office said.
A video provided by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office appears to show Clayton sitting in his vehicle for a period of time while a detective can be heard saying “he is refusing to get out of the car.”
At one point in the video, he appears to open his door before closing it again. Clayton later appears to point the green laser at the sheriff’s helicopter.
After deputies say Clayton ignored multiple commands from detectives to surrender, the video shows detectives approaching Clayton’s vehicle and removing him from it.
Clayton was arrested and charged with pointing a laser at a pilot and driver and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Manatee County Judicial Center with a $2,000 bond, according to the sheriff’s office website.
FAA: Laser pointers endanger pilots
Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and is a serious threat to aviation safety due to the fact that high-powered lasers can incapacitate pilots, sometimes putting hundreds of lives in danger, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
Laser strikes have been on the rise the past few years, with pilots reporting nearly 9,500 in 2022 and around 9,700 in 2021, a significant increase from the previous five years, according to the FAA, which has been recording laser reports since 2010.
The crime carries a maximum sentence of five years. If an injury is caused as a result of shining a laser light at a person operating a motor vehicle, vessel or aircraft, the crime is upgraded to a second-degree felony and is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, according to Florida Statutes.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 12:51 PM.
