Authorities have charged a Calgary man with criminal and federal aviation offences after someone flashed a laser pointer at the police HAWCS helicopter early this morning.
Police said the incident happened at about 1:45 a.m., as chopper was searching the area around the 600 block of 4th Avenue N.E. in response to a disturbance call.
The flight crew reported a green laser beam flashing through the cockpit as it circled the area.
Officers on the ground were able to trace the source of the beam and arrested a man.
Police didn't specify if the suspect was connected to the original disturbance call.
David Palvialok, 35, has been charged with obstructing police and mischief under the criminal code. He's also charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft in flight, and creating a hazard to aviation safety, which are offences under federal aviation legislation.
In 2010, Transport Canada recorded 182 cases of laser pointers being aimed at aircraft -- 14 in Alberta. In 2005, there were only three recorded incidents across the entire country.
No comments:
Post a Comment