Three incidents in the greater Houston area show this activity is pretty hard to get away with.
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"People, unfortunately, try to bring aircraft down by lasering helicopters and airplanes. It's illegal, so we are reporting it to police and the tower right now. We're trying to get a house number. Yeah, it's serious," ABC13's SkyEye reporter Tammy Rose said.
Back in September 2022, she was covering the morning commute when she spotted a green laser pointed right at the chopper. GPS technology helped the crew nail down the address it was coming from.
On Jan. 30, a Harris County Sheriff's Office surveillance plane pilot reported a strike and was able to lead deputies to the person they believed shined it at the aircraft near Windfern Road and Beltway 8 in northwest Houston.
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In fact, something similar happened on Feb. 1 when someone pointed a laser at a Department of Public Safety helicopter. The pilot circled the Cypress area and gave deputies the location and description of the suspect.
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The arrests in these cases carry a class A misdemeanor charge because lasers can disorient or temporarily blind pilots in the air.
A representative with the FAA says this activity is illegal, and you can get caught.
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