Roseville police arrested a 29-year-old man Tuesday for allegedly pointing a laser device at aircraft. At 11 p.m. Monday, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helicopter pilot notified Roseville police that someone on the ground had pointed a laser device at a commercial airliner and at the sheriff's helicopter, Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department, said in a press release Tuesday.

The helicopter crew helped police locate the source of the beam at a home in the 100 block of Elm Street, Gunther said.
Balltazar Valladares of Roseville was arrested on suspicion of discharging a laser at a moving, occupied aircraft. The charge is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to $2,000. His bail was $45,000, police said.

Gunther said officers also seized a high-powered laser device.

Police said pointing a laser at an aircraft violates state and federal law because it poses a danger for flight crews, passengers and people on the ground.

"Even for short exposure, it can cause temporary loss of vision," said Dr. David Telander, an ophthalmologist and retinal specialist at the UC Davis Medical Center. "When you're flying, that's critical."

"It's a nationwide issue," said Sgt. Tim Cotter, supervisor of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Air Operations Bureau.

Late last month, police arrested a 17-year-old boy in North Sacramento after he allegedly pointed a laser into Air One's cockpit.

His laser was low-powered. No one in the aircraft suffered injuries. But the potential for danger is there, said Sgt. Mike Hutchins, who supervises the Police Department's air unit.

Lasers, an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, pose a safety hazard to flight operations. The focused beams of a laser remain powerful at extended viewing distances and can expose pilots to radiation levels above those considered to be flight safe. Brief exposure to even a relatively low-powered laser beam can cause discomfort and temporary visual impairments, such as glare, flash blind, and afterimages.

According to the Federal Aviation Aerospace Administration, incidents involving laser illumination of aircraft occur daily and occur with significantly higher frequency in the Western Pacific Region. Laser illumination incidents compromise aviation safety and threaten flight crew vision.

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