DOJ: Man fired laser at police helicopter, tried to drive away then crashed

Enlarge / Downtown Fresno's skyline can be seen below snow caps the Sierra Nevada mountains and clouds along the foothills. (credit: Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/MCT via Getty Images)

A man in Fresno, California was indicted this week on federal criminal charges-prosecutors say that Michael Vincent Alvarez fired a laser pointer repeatedly at a local police helicopter.

According to the criminal complaint filed on October 30, 2017, Alvarez fired a green laser at a police helicopter shortly after midnight on October 22.

The Fresno Police helicopter, Air-1, was responding to reports of a domestic disturbance before it was struck three times. The pilot, who was not named, was hit in the eyes directly each time.

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