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Man Charged With Assaulting Police After Pointing Laser at NYPD Helicopter

By  Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner | March 10, 2015 8:47am | Updated on March 10, 2015 3:09pm

 Frank Egan also aimed his laser at aircraft taking off and landing from LaGuardia Airport, police said.
Frank Egan also aimed his laser at aircraft taking off and landing from LaGuardia Airport, police said.
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NYPD

THE BRONX — A flower shop owner was arrested Monday on charges of assaulting a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon after he pointed a laser at planes taking off and landing at LaGuardia Airport — including an NYPD helicopter, officials said.

Frank Egan, 36, who friends and relatives said runs a flower shop in New Rochelle, was inside the third-floor Schuylerville apartment he shares with his mom at 2801 Coddington Ave., near East Tremont Avenue, about 9:20 p.m., when he started beaming his Laser 303 at the aircraft, police said.

Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration spotted Egan's laser and told the NYPD, which started scoping out the areas around LaGuardia, police said.

His laser beam hurt the eyes of three pilots in two planes — including a pilot on an Air Canada flight AC727, which was carrying 69 passengers — as well as two NYPD officers in a helicopter looking for him, police said.

The Air Canada pilot returned to Toronto where he was treated for eye irritation, an NYPD spokesman said. The NYPD officers were treated for irritation at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, police said.

Police in the helicopter spotted the laser shooting out of Egan's third-floor apartment and directed officers from the nearby 45th Precinct to the home where Egan's mother let them inside, NYPD officials said.

The officers found Egan's laser pointer and he confessed to shining it at the aircraft that night, police said.

He was arrested on charges of assault on a police officer, assault, menacing a police officer, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

He was awaiting arraignment Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said.

Friends and family said they didn't believe the police account and said that Egan was an upstanding New Rochelle flower shop owner.

"That's a working man. He works 80 hours a week. This is not a man who lives in the street," said a man who claimed to be Egan's uncle but wouldn't give his name.

"They got my nephew for no reason and that's wrong. That's not right what they did. They come over here and accuse him of things he didn't do," the uncle said.

A woman who said her name was Olivia and worked as Egan's mother's home health aide echoed the uncle's sentiments.

"That's not him. He's a sweet kid. He works hard. This guy is a good guy. He didn't do it. Frank isn't into these things," said Olivia, who wouldn't give her last name.

"[The laser pointer] isn't his. He doesn't have any laser. The person whose laser it is won't fess up and say it's theirs," Olivia added.

Those who worked with Egan doubted that he'd try to interfere with aircraft.

"He's a really nice guy. He's a very good boss. He's helped me out a lot," said Angel Martinez, 45, who delivered flowers for Egan's shop.

"Whatever they're saying he did is blown out of proportion. He never talks about anything stupid like this. It's all a big misunderstanding," Martinez added.