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April 09, 2019 - 5:30 PM
LAKE COUNTRY - A flashing green light used to nearly blind an airplane crew sounds like a supervillain scheme devised by the Riddler, but it was a real problem in Lake Country two weeks ago and the consequences could have been severe.
According to Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey, Lake Country RCMP were contacted by Kelowna airport officials on March 27 at 10:52 p.m. The officials said the crew members onboard a passenger flight had complained about a powerful green light shining on the craft. Police searched for the source of the light on the ground, but they could not find it.
Minutes later, at 11 p.m., police received another report of the green light blinding a motorist driving on Highway 97. The driver was unharmed, but the source of the light went missing again.
"The careless shining of laser lights at pilots or motorists [has] the real potential of causing temporary blindness or creating a powerful distracting glare which puts all those on board at serious risk," O'Donaghey said in an email.
Firing a laser at airplane is definitely no joke. It's illegal to point a laser device at a plane and the punishment for doing so can be a $100,000 fine, five years in prison, or both.
Anyone with information on the mysterious green light is asked to contact Lake Country RCMP at 250-766-2288, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2019