Teen arrested for pointing laser at aircraft

A 14- year old California teen was arrested today for pointing a laser pen at two aircraft as they approached Los Angeles International Airport.

The teen is accused of pointing a green laser pen at a police helicopter and an airplane the ground in South Los Angeles.

LaserPointerSafety.com warns “You should NEVER aim a laser pointer at an airplane or helicopter. It is unsafe, you may be arrested, and you may help get laser pointers banned.” Distracting or flashblinding pilots is serious business that end up in jail time, up to 20 years for an Orlando, Florida man last month.

There were 100 incidents of laser pointing at LAX reported in 2010, more than any other airport in the country.

Flickr image by M. Pastor (who apparently is trying to blind the photographer in this photo)AOLTravel reports “Lasers can put planes and passengers at risk by distracting and even temporarily blinding pilots, the FAA said. Most of the incidents occurred during takeoffs and landing”