Who needs a surface-to-air missile when a laser pointer will do?
A 21-year-old Overland Park man is in a whole shit load of trouble after allegedly pointing a a green laser at a police helicopter and temporarily blinding the pilot, according to the Star. The guy with the laser pointer (they still make those?) could be facing federal charges for messing with a flight crew.
The chopper was reportedly hovering over a wreck near Interstate 435 and Wornall Road when the guy pointed the laser at the helicopter's cockpit a bunch of times.
Here's the big problem, via the Star:
Lasers canNot happy that someone was making his flight bumpy, theblind pilots because the dot becomes larger over long distances and the
cockpit's glass and plastic refract light, said Sgt. Tony Mak, who works
in the helicopter unit.
"It illuminates the whole cockpit," he said. "The pilot had to put his
hand up and shield his eyes because it was so bright."
pilot traced the laser back to the guy's pickup. Officers on the ground
pounced.
The guy apparently wasn't trying to do anything
malicious; he was just dicking around, seeing if he could hit the
chopper with the laser. It's a pretty stupid move.
Police took
the guy's info and also confiscated his laser pointer, which they'll
keep until the guy learns to use it responsibly. Maybe he'll get 15
months in prison to think about it, like this
California teenager.
