A man from Warrenton, Missouri, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after being convicted of aiming a laser pointer at a Metro Air Support helicopter and temporarily blinding its pilots. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Wednesday following a July trial.
The incident occurred shortly before 9:45 p.m. on August 9, 2024, when Joshua J. Johnson used a blue Class IV laser to target a marked police helicopter flying over the Benton Park neighborhood in St. Louis as it assisted other officers. The laser beam temporarily blinded both the St. Louis County Police Department pilot and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department pilot by flooding their cockpit with blue light.
As the intensity of the laser diminished, officers were able to track the beam to a vehicle below and followed it as it moved along the street. The driver aimed the laser at the helicopter again before officers on the ground stopped and arrested Johnson, who was alone in the vehicle. Initially denying his actions, Johnson later admitted responsibility during questioning and in calls made from jail.
Jurors found Johnson, now 44 years old, guilty of one felony count of knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
“This is dangerous conduct,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha said during sentencing. He noted that high-powered consumer lasers have the potential to cause permanent blindness for air crews and added that civil penalties up to $11,000 can be imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration for such offenses.
“Pointing a laser at an aircraft can have catastrophic consequences, including the potential for fatal accidents if pilots are temporarily blinded. This is not a harmless prank,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The act is not difficult to trace, and in this case, it took mere minutes for the jury to convict Joshua J. Johnson.”
The investigation involved cooperation between the FBI, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and Metro Air Support Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohsen Pasha and Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
