Crime & Safety
FBI Offers $10K Reward After 100+ Laser Strikes On Seattle Aircraft
The FBI is ramping up efforts to catch those responsible for pointing bright lasers at planes landing at SEA Airport in recent months.
SEATTLE — The FBI's Seattle office is offering up to $10,000 for information that leads investigators to the people responsible for dozen of laser strikes on aircraft landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Federal investigators announced the reward Monday, citing a "dramatic increase of laser incidents" reported by pilots landing at SEA Airport this year.
By the second week of March, the FBI said laser pointers were pointed at descending planes in more than 100 separate incidents, including over SeaTac, South Park, Highland Park, White Center, Burien, Normandy Park and Des Moines.
Earlier coverage: Lasers Target Planes Near Sea-Tac, FAA Investigating
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The powerful laser pointers used in the incidents can interfere with pilots' ability to land the aircraft and cause serious injuries to their eyes. The FBI said it will continue to work with law enforcement agencies on the local and federal level to determine the person or people responsible for the spike in laser incidents around Seattle.
Anyone with information about any of this year's laser strikes around the airport can contact the FBI's Seattle office at 206-622-0460 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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