Man Arrested In OKC For Pointing Laser At Police Helicopter

Oklahoma City police arrested a man accused of pointing a laser at the Air One helicopter early Sunday morning.

According to police, at about 1:30 a.m., officers responded to assist Air One in the 5300 block of N. May. Police learned that someone in the front passenger seat of a car at the What-A-Burger was shining a laser pointer at the helicopter.

The helicopter was manned by two fully-certified Oklahoma City police officers.

Officers responded and located the suspect vehicle. William Leon Ernst, 23, who was in the front passenger seat, denied pointing the laser at the helicopter. However, the driver of the car told police that Ernst, indeed, had been pointing the laser at the helicopter.

The driver said Ernst may have thrown the laser pointer out of the vehicle. Officers located the laser in the drive-thru lane at the restaurant. A battery for the laser was found under the front passenger seat in the car.

Officers said they found a metal piece inside Ernst’s pocket and attached it to the laser, turning the single beam of laser into many different beams. If you spin the metal piece, it works like a kaleidoscope, the police report stated. 

The driver confirmed that laser pointer was the one Ernst had been using.

According to police, officers also found a single pink firework with a green fuse sticking out the end inside Ernst's pocket. Police said Ernst’s eyes were red and watery and his speech was somewhat slurred. They could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Ernst.

Ernst was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of pointing laser at police officer, possession of fireworks, and public drunkenness.