The Coast Guard is warning the public that pointing handheld lasers at Coast Guard boat and aircrews is dangerous and illegal.
There were three instances of lasers targeting Coast Guard assets in May and early June. On June 2, a Coast Guard 87-foot patrol boat was hit with a laser while patrolling near Sanibel Island, Fla. Crewmembers reported the green laser came from land. Also on June 2, while on patrol, an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew reported being hit by a green laser originating from land one nautical mile south of Punta Salina, Puerto Rico. On May 10 a Coast Guard cutter reported a laser strike while conducting a safety inspection of a recreational vessel in the vicinity of the Venetian Causeway in Miami. There were no reported injuries associated with the incidents.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service is investigating all three laser cases. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and a felony offense. If found guilty, offenders could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to five years in prison.
