A 19-year-old Los Angeles area teen was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for pointing a laser beam at a private plane and a police helicopter last year.
Adam Gardenshire of North Hollywood pled guilty in October to one felony count of aiming a laser beam at an aircraft. Gardenshire is only the second person prosecuted under a new law signed by President Obama last year year that criminalizes pointing lasers at planes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Gardenshire allegedly aimed a commercial-grade green laser beam at a privately owned Cessna Citation as it was preparing to land at Bob Hope Airport, and at a Pasadena Police Department helicopter on the evening of March 29, 2012, the Times reported.
Prosecutors said the beam hit the Citation pilot in the eye several times and impaired his vision for several hours. Gardenhire pointed the laser at the police chopper as it responded to the Citation incident. The helicopter's pilot was unaffected because he was wearing protective goggles.
Gardenshire faced a maximum of five years in prison for the incident, which was investigated by mulitple agencies, including Burbank, Pasadena and Los Angeles police as well as the FBI and the FAA.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson said he wanted the sentence to send a message to other people, according to the L.A. Daily News.
Reports of laser beam attacks have increased in recent years as strong laser devices have become more affordable and available to the public, according to the Times. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, California leads the nation in laser attacks on aircraft, with more than 500 reported last year, while some 3,500 incidents were reported across the nation in 2012.
