On an evening in April of 2010, St. Louis resident Justin Stouder made the mistake of pointing a green laser pointer at a police helicopter flying a mile from his house. A cockpit video posted by the FBI shows the dangerous blinding effect of the laser and the Stouder’s quick arrest by police. Besides being dangerous to pilots and their passengers, dazzling an aircraft with a laser pointer is a Federal felony with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The FAA reports that “laser incidents” have been doubling each year since they were first tracked in 2004. In 2010, pilots reported 2,836 incidents.
via Gizmodo
