Prosecutors Tuesday dismissed charges against a 42-year-old man accused of pointing a laser at a Huntington Beach police helicopter pilot.
Brett Wayne Parkins was accused of pointing the laser at the helicopter pilot just before 8:45 p.m. July 25, police said.
However, on a motion made by prosecutors in court, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Roberts dismissed two felony counts of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft, according to court records.
When the incident occurred, the pilot managed to triangulate the location of the laser and saw a suspect retreat to his apartment, police said. When police searched the apartment they “found a green, high-powered laser,” police said.
Lasers are dangerous to point at aircraft because it can blind the pilot and cause a crash.