BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Police arrest laser suspect

Newport Beach police have arrested a Westminster man on suspicion of pointing a laser at a police helicopter early Sunday.

The pilot in Eagle 1, the police helicopter shared by Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, spotted the laser at 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Newport Beach Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

The helicopter crew told ground patrol units the laser came from a black Acura Integra. The car was stopped at 38th Street and Balboa Boulevard and one man was arrested, Hartford said.

Hakam Sufian Dini, 19, was arrested on suspicion of pointing a laser at the aircraft. Police confiscated two laser pointers from the car ? one red and one green.

It was the second arrest since April of people suspected of pointed a laser at the police helicopter in Newport Beach. The president of a condominium association was arrested April 20 after he allegedly pointed a laser at a police helicopter.

Police said pointing a laser at the helicopter is a serious crime and is not a joke.

“Shining a laser at a pilot could obviously hamper the pilot’s ability to operate an aircraft safely,” Hartford said.

Fire causes $50,000 damage to house

A fire in a Newport Beach home Sunday caused $50,000 in damage, but no one was injured, fire officials said.

When firefighters arrived on scene at 5:21 p.m. Sunday, the residents had safely evacuated from the house on 300 block of Snug Harbor Road.

The fire was ruled an accident.

It was believed to have been started when combustible materials were used to start a fire in a gas-only fireplace, officials said.

Before the fire started, residents told firefighters they smelled smoke and heard crackling noises in the wall. The power also went out in the room where the fire started, officials said.