Madison Heights man arrested after allegedly pointing laser light at police chopper
(CBS DETROIT) - A 44-year-old Madison Heights man was arrested Tuesday night after Michigan State Police say he pointed a laser light at Chopper 2 while it was patrolling the area.
"We take it super seriously. We have no tolerance for it. If you get caught by us, and you will, we will arrest you," said Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police.
Threats involving aircraft and laser pointers are on the rise.
Since 2013, the number of incidents has nearly tripled, according to the Government Accountability Office's website.
Thankfully, no pilot was injured in Tuesday night's laser light incident.
Lt. Shaw said police were able to apprehend the 44-year-old man suspected of pointing the laser light at Chopper 2. Lt. Shaw said the suspect still had the laser pointer in his possession when he was confronted by police.
"Again, not a joke. There is no reason to hit any of our aircraft. There's no reason to point a laser at any other aircraft. You can cause some serious injuries or a lot of fatalities, if it goes to the very worst extreme," Lt. Shaw said.
Lt. Shaw wanted to remind the public that pointing a laser light at an aircraft breaks state and federal law.
"When you're picked up and taken into custody, we're going to prosecute you," he said.