A Brandon man was arrested for pointing a laser at a police helicopter, just days after the FBI announced a campaign to address that very issue.
Police said Bradley Steffes, 29, aimed a laser at a Tampa police helicopter Thursday at 1:28 a.m. in the area of 50th Street and Adamo Drive.
The pilots used the helicopter's night vision to guide patrol units on the ground to a man who was getting into a Dodge Ram truck parked at 5205 Adamo Drive. The man was the only individual in the parking lot, police said.
The patrol units made contact with the man, who they identified as Steffes, and searched his truck. During the search, they said they found a laser pointer, marijuana and a glass pipe.
Steffes was arrested on charges of misusing a laser lighting device and possession of narcotics. He was taken to jail without further incident.
Steffes' arrest happened 36 hours after the FBI's Tampa field office held a press conference to announce their campaign to deter people from pointing lasers at aircrafts.
Officials said people who point lasers at airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft are violating federal laws and putting pilots and passengers in danger.
"The individuals that are doing this could very well think that it's just a harmless prank," Special Agent Paul Wysopal said. "And I think that is part of the problem because they're looking at it going, 'It's all good, it's just a prank.' Well, the 'all good' could break bad, and it could be very bad if a plane were to crash."
The FBI is now offering rewards of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of people who aim lasers at aircrafts.
Officials said that since the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration started tracking laser strikes in 2005, researchers found that cases of aircraft being deliberately targeted by handheld lasers has increased by more than 1,100 percent.