Officers responded to the area and spotted a laser beam coming from the balcony of a nearby condo.
Officers responded to the area and spotted a laser beam coming from the balcony of a nearby condo. Beam Combiner
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Officers responded to the area and spotted a laser beam coming from the balcony of a nearby condo.
Someone pointing a laser at aircraft flying overhead drew the attention of Tybee Island police during the weekend.
"We were just starting our decent for our arrival into Hilton Head and we got hit by a very bright beam of greenlight," Pilot Brian Bell told WJCL 22 News.
According to the Tybee Island Police Department, air traffic control at the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport contacted law enforcement Sunday to report someone near the Tybee Island Pier was pointing lasers at aircraft.
Officers responded to the area and spotted a laser beam coming from the balcony of a nearby condo.
"With the lasers, it's such a concentrated beam of light that even 5, 6, 7 miles away some of the lasers that can be commercially purchased are concentrated enough that they could damage your vision or could possibly go blind if you have enough exposure," said Bell.
"When confronted, the occupant immediately and willingly surrendered the laser pointer to law enforcement," according to TIPD.
Officers passed on all pertinent information regarding the incident to air traffic control.
"I think in 99.999% of the cases, people don't realize—they think it's harmless. Hey let's light up this airplane. But it's enough to cause permanent injury or even loss of vision," Bell said.
It is a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft, according to the FAA.
Click here to report laser strikes.
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