Man charged with pointing laser pointer at planes leaving O'Hare and Midway airports
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois State Police arrested a man accused of pointing a laser pointer at planes flying out of O'Hare and Midway airports last week.
Around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, a spotter and pilot in an Illinoi State Police aircraft reported being contacted by a hand-held laser pointer from the ground.
The aircraft's camera tracked the laser pointer to the yard of a home in the 1200 block of Sunnyside Drive in Berkeley, according to police.
Police said intelligence from the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed several planes leaving from O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, including commercial flights, reported the same problem from the same area.
State police troopers on the ground and Berkeley police officers went to the home of 36-year-old Saul Martinez Castanon, and took him into custody. Martinez Castanon has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for pointing a laser pointer at a law enforcement officer and pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft.
Police said pointing laser pointers at planes in the air can blind pilots.
"Targeting aircraft with a laser pointer creates a safety threat that can put the lives of hundreds of passengers at risk," said Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly. "Our ISP Air Operations did a phenomenal job identifying the source of the light and working with officers on the ground to arrest the suspect."