A Pointed Issue: Laser-Wielding Man Charged In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA—Laser pointers are the tool of choice for some pranksters, but it can also result in some serious charges if not used responsibly. That was the case in Fairfax County over the weekend.

A police helicopter was returning to the hangar Saturday, Sept. 23 when hit with blue laser light three times. The laser was strong enough to reflect into the cockpit and affect two flight officers.

SIGN UP: Subscribe to a Virginia Patch News Alert and Newsletter. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

But it's not easy for a laser pointer to get away, as police can easily trace a laser to the origin. The helicopter crew circled back to the area and used an infrared camera to find the car where the laser came from. Officers on the ground located the vehicle.

As a result, the driver was charged with shining a light/laser pointer at an aircraft, a class 1 misdemeanor. The Federal Aviation Administration will be conducting a federal investigation as well.

In 2012, it became a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft. Fairfax County Police remind residents that laser pointers can temporarily blind flight crews.

Like McLean Patch on Facebook.

Image via Andrew "FastLizard4" Adams/Flickr, used under Creative Commons