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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Laser aimed at police chopper

By: Melissa Martin

Posted: 03/11/2011 1:00 AM

IT'S no joke: What may have started as a prank ended with serious charges laid against a man accused of shining a laser pointer into a police helicopter pilot's eyes.

Just after midnight on Thursday, the police chopper was buzzing about 300 metres over Portage Avenue and Broadway when a green laser beam shot through the helicopter's front window, striking the pilot on the eyes.

Immediately, the pilot took evasive action and was not injured in the incident. The light continued to aim at the helicopter for a few minutes.

Police response was swift. Flight crew were able to track the source of the light to a yard in the 200 block of Toronto Street. Within five minutes of the incident, a suspect was under arrest and a laser pointer had been recovered.

Police spokeswoman Const. Natalie Aitken suggested the device may be stronger than your average cat toy. Stronger laser pointers, such as the kind used by astronomers, are easy to obtain, she said.

And make no mistake: Prank or not, police won't be laughing with anyone caught using one against the helicopter.

"This is not a joke," Aitken said, noting laser pointers can temporarily blind or distract pilots, risking "catastrophic" consequences. "It's more than distracting... it's a very, very bright light."

A 26-year-old man is facing a charge of assault with a weapon. Further charges may be added under the Aeronautics Act and the Criminal Code, Aitken said. He was released on a promise to appear.

Although this is the first time anyone has taken a laser pointer to Winnipeg's police helicopter, it's a common problem across Canada. There were more than 180 incidents of Canadian aircraft being targeted by an intense light in 2010, Aitken said.

Shining a bright light source at an aircraft is banned under the Aeronautics Act and the Canadian Aviation Regulations. It can result in a variety of criminal offences.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 11, 2011 B2