California man gets 14 years for pointing laser at helo

[sherbanator]

www.king5.com/news/Calif-man-gets-14-years-for-pointing-laser-at-helicopter-249969681.html

I can't c&p the story from my phone. People that point lasers at pilots make me so angry so I don't feel bad that he got that sentence. It does infuriate me that murderers and child molesters get less time, though.

[starlily]

I noticed his case was prosecuted in federal court. Most criminal cases are prosecuted in state courts. Federal & state sentencing guideline differ widely.

[iammalcolmx]

Hold on was anyone hurt when he did this?

[pixy0stix]

Mar 13, 2014 14:17:38 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Hold on was anyone hurt when he did this?

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

[aussiecrush]

The police helicopter he was convicted for using the laser on was in response to a children's hospital helicopter being targeted at an apartment complex. No one was hurt in this case but I think people fail to grasp the serious consequences of las wrong aircraft.

[iammalcolmx]

Mar 13, 2014 14:19:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 13, 2014 14:17:38 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Hold on was anyone hurt when he did this?

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

Ohhhh, too bad we cant just beat him.

[Cicero]

What would make an adult think that blinding a pilot in the air was a fun thing to do?

[Cicero]

And am I reading correctly that the police helicopter was there to investigate someone in that building (so probably them) flashing a laser at the emergency helicopter for a children's hospital? Seriously?!

[downtoearth]

Yes, dumb, yes, he should get some punishment (and his girlfriend), but NO to over a decade in federal prison b/c of something that was done one single night to two helicopters. I know it was lucky that it didn't cause a crash, but this just seems over the top.

[downtoearth]

Mar 13, 2014 14:19:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 13, 2014 14:17:38 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Hold on was anyone hurt when he did this?

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

How?  I think it might be equivalent to throwing a stick in front of a car as it goes by and then the police coming by b/c of that complaint and throwing a stick there too.  Luckily in this case, there was no injury, but also nobody was using a gun or pointing a gun at anyone.  They were just stupid, young twenty-somethings.

[iammalcolmx]

Mar 13, 2014 15:32:10 GMT -5 Cicero said:

And am I reading correctly that the police helicopter was there to investigate someone in that building (so probably them) flashing a laser at the emergency helicopter for a children's hospital? Seriously?!

Hence my request for a good sound beating.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 13, 2014 15:41:52 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Mar 13, 2014 14:19:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

How?  I think it might be equivalent to throwing a stick in front of a car as it goes by and then the police coming by b/c of that complaint and throwing a stick there too.  Luckily in this case, there was no injury, but also nobody was using a gun or pointing a gun at anyone.  They were just stupid, young twenty-somethings.

You're completely blinding the pilot when you hit the windshield with the laser. And it's not just one flash, it's many as it's trained on the windshield. I didn't know a stick could incapacitate a driver.

[pixy0stix]

If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, this has several pages linking to original documents with the research on how dangerous it is to aircraft.

www.laserpointersafety.com/FAQ-doubters/FAQ-doubters.html

[sherbanator]

Mar 13, 2014 15:41:52 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Mar 13, 2014 14:19:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

How?  I think it might be equivalent to throwing a stick in front of a car as it goes by and then the police coming by b/c of that complaint and throwing a stick there too.  Luckily in this case, there was no injury, but also nobody was using a gun or pointing a gun at anyone.  They were just stupid, young twenty-somethings.

You are wrong. It is worse than shooting a tire Imo but your stick throwing analogy is completely incorrect. At an airport if this were to happen we suspend ops and send someone out to find the source. That is how dangerous it is. They are putting lives at risks and I am glad something is being done. Have to start somewhere so people realize the seriousness.

[meshaliuknits]

I've been to Clovis. It's boring as hell, but I'm CERTAIN USA was marathoning NCIS which is far superior entertainment to flashing lasers at folks.

Fucking Clovis.

[sushi]

Mar 13, 2014 16:40:33 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I've been to Clovis. It's boring as hell, but I'm CERTAIN USA was marathoning NCIS which is far superior entertainment to flashing lasers at folks.

Fucking Clovis.

There's always a chance we could get sent there. I would pay to any and all gods to avoid that.

[meshaliuknits]

Mar 13, 2014 17:27:12 GMT -5 sushi said:

Mar 13, 2014 16:40:33 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I've been to Clovis. It's boring as hell, but I'm CERTAIN USA was marathoning NCIS which is far superior entertainment to flashing lasers at folks.

Fucking Clovis.

There's always a chance we could get sent there. I would pay to any and all gods to avoid that.

There's a base in CLOVIS?! No. I lived next door for years. I would've known that, right?

[AAM2012]

Mar 13, 2014 17:27:12 GMT -5 sushi said:

Mar 13, 2014 16:40:33 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I've been to Clovis. It's boring as hell, but I'm CERTAIN USA was marathoning NCIS which is far superior entertainment to flashing lasers at folks.

Fucking Clovis.

There's always a chance we could get sent there. I would pay to any and all gods to avoid that.

I will pray for you.

My brother was there for 8 years, fucking hell hole and he had to go to Korea for a year (and miss his first born child) in hopes that he'll get out of there.

[aussiecrush]

Mar 13, 2014 15:32:10 GMT -5 Cicero said:

And am I reading correctly that the police helicopter was there to investigate someone in that building (so probably them) flashing a laser at the emergency helicopter for a children's hospital? Seriously?!

Yes. That's exactly right.

This is a huge problem, my husband handle 3 or 4 instances a week just in the air space he controls. It causes ground stoppage at airports because the risk is so high.

[zelda25]

Mar 13, 2014 15:41:52 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Mar 13, 2014 14:19:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

No, but it's the equivalent of shooting out a police car tire as they are driving by.

How?  I think it might be equivalent to throwing a stick in front of a car as it goes by and then the police coming by b/c of that complaint and throwing a stick there too.  Luckily in this case, there was no injury, but also nobody was using a gun or pointing a gun at anyone.  They were just stupid, young twenty-somethings.

My husband has had lasers pointed at him when he was flying; it's very disruptive and can make it difficult or impossible for the pilot to see. Not cool.

Sent from the infernal device.