A man is in custody after allegedly pointing a laser at several planes in flight in the Okanagan on Thursday night.
Vernon North Okanagan RCMP say thanks to public help, the 39-year-old man was arrested in the Becker Park area around midnight.
Police say a NAV Canada representative contacted them around 11:15, telling RCMP they were receiving reports that someone was pointing a green laser into the cockpits of several commercial aircraft flying over Vernon.
“Shortly before midnight, a group of people searching for the origin of the laser encountered a person in Becker Park believed to be responsible for pointing the laser at the aircraft,” RCMP said.
“Once discovered, the suspect left the area, and the witnesses, from a safe distance, were able to point nearby officers in the direction of the suspect.”
Police say they intercepted the suspect, but that during the arrest, the man allegedly assaulted the arresting officer.
“The suspect refused to comply with police and physically resisted the arrest until additional officers arrived safely took the man into custody,” said RCMP.
“Fortunately, our officers were not physically injured while dealing with this individual,” said Const. Chris Terleski.
“Thankfully, all the involved aircraft were able to land safely. We want to remind the public that pointing a laser at an aircraft poses an extreme risk to aviation and endangers the lives of both the occupants of the aircraft, as well as the people on the ground.”
Police say a person convicted of pointing a laser into an aircraft cockpit in Canada could face up to five years in prison and could be fined up to $100,000.
A call to Global News said the laser was pinned to a flight from Calgary to Kelowna for five minutes.
They added the unnamed man is facing a number of potential charges under the Criminal Code and Aeronautics Act, and that the incident is under investigation.
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