now i can see cleveland ohio banning lasers! 4 years ago they questioned everyone with known lasers in town....... This was just in the news:
CLEVELAND -- Four people who may have thought they were pulling off a prank could end up in prison for up to 20 years.
They are charged with interference with aircraft operations after police said the shined a laser into cockpits of airborne planes.
Cleveland police got involved quickly on Wednesday night, sending up their chopper to track down a car that was the source of the laser.
Two commercial airplanes were diverted as they approached Cleveland Hopkins International Airport because a laser was being pointed right at them and a Life Flight helicopter.
The police chopper was also targeted.
"As we always do, we had a pilot and a spotter in the chopper. The spotter was able to identify the vehicle on West 130th street from which the laser was being pointed," said Cleveland Police Lt. Thomas Stacho.
Ground units responded and four people are now in custody, facing state and federal charges.
"It's a very dangerous circumstance when a pilot who's landing a large aircraft gets zapped with a laser, so we take this very seriously," said Scott Wilson, of the FBI.
The green laser allegedly used is powerful enough to cover great distances.
It's not the first time an incident like this has taken place involving planes in Cleveland. Four years ago, a similar green laser was used out of Warrensville Heights, but no arrests were made that time.
The FBI said they will decide within a few days whether federal charges will be filed.