A 20-year-old Vaughan man who pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at a York Regional Police helicopter in Aug. 2015 must pay a $3,000 fine.

Nicholas Caranci pleaded guilty to projecting a bright light source into navigable airspace (which is considered a federal offence) in a Newmarket courtroom on Dec. 19, police said.

The charge stems from an incident where the helicopter, known as Air 2, was above Highway 7 and Pine Valley Drive in Vaughan at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 16, assisting officers on the ground responding to a weapons call.

Police said the crew of the chopper reported being hit in the eyes by a bright light source coming from Jenna Court, just north of Highway 407. The crew of the chopper took safety precautions to evade the beam of light but said the strikes continued.

Cameras on the helicopter spotted three men standing outside of a vehicle at the end of Jenna Court. Police said one of the men was seen aiming what looked like a laser pointer-equipped handgun at the helicopter. Police on the ground assisted by a canine unit and tactical officers then responded to Jenna Court.

The man fled on foot, hopped a fence, threw the gun away and hid in a wooded area. With the chopper’s help, a suspect was spotted and arrested by the canine unit.

Police recovered the gun, which turned out to be a pellet gun with a laser pointer mounted on it.

Health Canada says that a short glance into the path of a laser beam from a laser pointer can cause a condition known as flash blindness. The condition is temporary but can be extremely dangerous for the pilot of an aircraft.

In a similar incident, a 16-year-old boy was charged after he allegedly pointed a laser beam at the York Regional Police helicopter and two commercial passenger planes flying over Vaughan on Nov. 12.

His case is still before the courts.