Officer Mark Wershing said he was hit twice in the eye with the laser and nearly became nauseous.
Having a laser shined in a pilot's eyes could be potentially deadly if the pilot were to lose concentration and crash, officials said.
Ofr. Wershing was able to follow the source of the laser to 23-year-old Luis Chacon's house in Garden Grove, three miles away. Chacon was arrested and may face prison time, since shining a laser at an aircraft is a felony.
Aircraft pilots in Los Angeles and Orange County are routinely struck by lasers. Just weeks ago, a sheriff's helicopter was struck twice in the same night.
