Laser Light Temporarily Blinds Assistant Police Chief

St. Petersburg, FL — A 42-year-old Pinellas Park man faces a third-degree felony charge after St. Petersburg Police say he pointed a laser light at Assistant Police Chief Jim Previtera Saturday night.

According to the agency, Previtera was driving north in the 5600 block of 4th Street North around 8:45 p.m. in an unmarked police vehicle. As Previtera passed through the area, “the windshield of his vehicle was then illuminated by a bright blue light flash, impairing his vision.”

Previtera determined the source of the light came from a vehicle parked outside 5625 4th St. N., an email from the agency siad.

The assistant chief and patrol units approached those in the vehicle and say its driver, David R. Smith, of Pinellas Park pointed a “Class 3B laser device” at Previtera’s vehicle, the email said.

Smith was subsequently charged with misuse of a laser lighting device, which is a third-degree felony. He was later released from the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond.

Police say Previtera’s vision was impaired for about 30 minutes after the incident.

“Research conducted on the Class 3B laser device possessed by Smith showed that the laser pointer can cause serious damage to the eye,” the email said. “Later at the St. Petersburg Police Department, to demonstrate the power of the seized device, the laser was pointed at a paper bag and it started the paper bag on fire.”

Photos courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department

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