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Birmingham man charged over laser shone at police helicopter | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A man has been charged with endangering an aircraft after a laser was shone at a police helicopter in Birmingham. | |
West Midlands Police said the helicopter was flying over Edgbaston responding to a call at about 22:30 BST on Tuesday. | |
A laser torch was shone at the aircraft from a parked vehicle on Benmore Avenue and a man was subsequently arrested. | |
The 25-year-old, from Nechells, has been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court in two weeks. | |
Police air operations supervisor Martin Knowles said: "In extreme cases pilots can be temporarily blinded if they're hit in the eye by a laser, even one shone from long range. | |
"Sometimes pilots are required to hover close to overhead wiring or tower blocks, moves which require extreme skill and precision, so even being distracted by a split second can have terrible consequences." | |