Maybe he thought it was funny to point a hand-held laser beam at a helicopter. But the three police forces and the U.S. Coast Guard were not laughing Saturday night as they chased down a Medford-area man who faces the possibility of federal charges.
“What goes through one’s mind…you never know what’s on the other end of a laser,” said Sgt. Robert Bousquet, of the Massachusetts State Police.
State police pilots were on a routine security mission, guarding a liquid natural gas tanker, as it was near shore at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday night, Bousquet said. They noticed a laser light touching their helicopter. Using sophisticated equipment on their helicopter, including cameras, they pinpointed the origin of the light as somewhere in the Medford-Somerville area, Bousquet said.
The search was on -- involving authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard, the state police, the Medford Police Department and the Somerville Police Department. About 90 minutes later, police found an adult male. Bousquet would not say exactly how police found him, nor would he identify the man because charges have not been filed at this time, though “illuminating an aircraft” is a federal offense. He said the investigation was turned over to federal officials.
The light never interfered with the pilots’ vision, nor is there any link to a terrorist threat, Bousquet said.
Why the big posse? Even if it was an ill-advised prank, Bousquet said the possibilities for criminal intent are broad when a pilot is facing down a laser beam.
