Teen Arrested for Shining Laser Pointer at Police Copter
Lasers are complex, powerful, and potentially dangerous. As such, they are totally cool. Because of their cool factor they are popular, and lasers powerful enough to burn paper or blind people are now readily available for sale. This is causing problems and arrests for those who choose to point their new, finely focused toys in the wrong direction.The most recent victim of pointing his laser in the wrong direction is a 15-year-old boy from California who was arrested after pointing his handheld laser at a police helicopter.
The kid, assumingly bored, pointed his Christmas present at anything that went by the window, including a commuter bus and a commercial aircraft coming in for a landing. But when he pointed it at a police helicopter, the men in blue did a little investigation, found the source, and arrested the kid. He was the third person arrested for the same offense that week in Orange County, CA alone. If convicted some may face upwards of 20 years in jail for the crime, though it's unclear whether they'll be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
If you received a laser pointer for as a present this holiday season, be aware of where you point that thing lest you find yourself in jail.
From BoingBoing
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kara @ Dec 28th 2007 12:10PM
Why are they for sale when merely pointing them at a person's eyes can blind them? I assume that's permanent blindness.
GZONE @ Dec 28th 2007 1:47PM
Terry,
A laser could blind the pilot and cause a crash of an aircraft or police helicopter. Laser ponters have a legal use so they are sold. Guns are also legally sold, but if shoot at a passenger airliner you should be arrested. The kid's parents need to have the responsibility to instruct the kid of the laser's proper use.
Travel the world like I have. We have the most free society in the world, and a
lola @ Dec 28th 2007 2:44PM
Well i believe that the is the parents' responsablities to informed their children's about how to use and be respondsable. But i also understand the police point of view. But to give 20 years of prison for this incident in which no one was hurt. It's really dum and ridicules. When you have other people driving under the influnece and killing people and the police letting them go realizing later that the driver was under the influence, and all they get is a year in prison. Where is the justice in that.
terry @ Dec 29th 2007 9:29AM
the police are a bunch of babies..what actual law did these people break? it won't be long before a person can't even look in the same direction as a police officer. and, if it's illegal to point them why are they legally sold. i cannot believe that in these day and times everything you do, say, or think has some kind of law that makes it illegal. free my butt. we are only as free as the government wants us to be. we are now a police state. as it has been said said " who shall guard the guards"!!!!
Queenie @ Dec 31st 2007 12:42PM
This is a sick world.. 20 years for this meanwhile you can kill someone and get away with it.....
Gary Ford @ Dec 31st 2007 2:14PM
I lived in Brooklyn, NY - a place where people sometimes get shot randomly. I had some idiot in an apartment building point a laser at me - my first thought was that it was a laser sighted gun - and the I was the intended target. The police got the guy - an idiot teenager who thought it was funny that I thought I might be killed. Not so funny if your are the target.
Dick @ Jan 7th 2008 3:19PM
Terry...
YOU are a MORON...........nuff said..
bubba @ Jan 7th 2008 4:19PM
Okay assuming everything negative about laser pointers is true I just can't fathom up to twenty years in jail for a 15 yr old or anyone who did not have criminal intentions. What is this country coming to.
blue @ Jan 7th 2008 4:52PM
Wow...Lola....too bad your parents didn't teach you how to spell.....It's called "Hooked on Phonics"...check it out sometime, you could probably find one on E-bay !
blue @ Jan 7th 2008 4:59PM
Dick,
I "SECOND" that comment on Terry.
Blue
Joseph J. Blazewicz @ Jan 7th 2008 5:53PM
Each state should make up a law for laser pointing. I think it should be allowed in self-defense only. If someone is using this for kicks, they should be fined and serve a 2 to 5 yr
prison sentence. If that 15yr gets 20yrs without parole, america getting just as bad as Singapore. Singapore is a police state country.
lin @ Jan 7th 2008 6:53PM
Hey queenie..i was just thinking that!
20yrs but if you get some white shoes and kill your husband and pretend like he forced you to have sex and dress up, you get out in less than a year? What's wrong with that picture?
lin @ Jan 7th 2008 6:53PM
Third the comment on Terry.
jason @ Jan 7th 2008 7:21PM
The police should've just given the kid a warning. 20 years is a ridiculous sentence.
pbstickman @ Jan 7th 2008 7:34PM
This has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard. The police actually took time to track this kid down. Do your job and catch a real criminal. What do you get paid for? Tax payer money hard at work tracking down and arresting a kid with a NON-LETHAL, NON-DANGEROUS, laser pointer. They should be fired or atleast repremanded for this crap.
Angie @ Jan 7th 2008 10:36PM
Why is everyone picking on "Terry"? He's right. Look at all of the stupid laws we have. Yes, we may have more freedoms than most countries but there are ALOT of dumbass laws on the books today.
zebra @ Feb 7th 2008 2:19PM
Anyone familiar with police or self-defense use of handguns is familiar with the use of laser sighting handgrips, i.e. http://www.crimsontrace.com/.
The police in the copter don't know that it is a kid with a laser pointer or a thug with laser sights trying to pop off a lucky shot. They should track down and arrest for such activity since pointing a weapon is a use of force (Class A misdemeanor) and pointing it at police is usually a felony. An arrest is not a conviction.
The twenty years quoted is probably the maximum for the felony. I see no where does it state that the kid was tried or convicted or sentenced.
If you don't like living in a police state (California) then move to Texas.
Zebra
Missy @ Feb 11th 2008 7:22PM
why is this thing even legal to buy...it should be banned. Some idiot my point to peole that doesn't know what it is and do some harm. Whoever is making it legal is doing a nut job. Yes I say 15 to 20 years is reasonable if someone was hurt by the thing.
mike @ Feb 15th 2008 6:54PM
Terry:
I totally agree with you.
Our freedom is slipping away. Don't worry about what the government loving monkeys think. They probably need the gov. to help them think.
You can LOVE your country and HATE your government. That is a very American characteristic, at least until they end the right of freedom of speech.