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US: Man points gun with laser sight in New Hampshire road rage incident
Charged with driving without a valid license, and criminal threatening
From WMUR TV
US: NY residents report red laser shined into home
From Scarsdale Patch
Note from LaserPointerSafety.com: We monitor news reports of laser misuse. One reason for this is to try to get an idea of the relative rate of events such as harassment of the public and of sports figures, aiming at automobiles, aiming at airplanes, etc. We see relatively few reports such as the one above, but have listed it as part of this coverage.
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US: Drunk arrested on Christmas Eve for lasing police car
King said he was “kidding around” while demonstrating the laser to friends. He was given a $75 ticket for shining a laser pointer to harass or alarm. A court date of January 13 was set for Bristol Superior Court.
From MyRecordJournal.com and Southington Patch
World: Hobbyist injures self with 1 watt blue laser
(UPDATE March 14 2012: The hobbyist reported “I still have the blind spot, and was effectively told by the ophthalmologist that it would probably be there the rest of my life. That doesn't bother me TOO much, since it isn't very inhibiting.”)
.Click to read more...
Australia: Qld teens aim laser at car, then fire shots
The incident occurred December 13 2011 in Beenleigh, about 35 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The targeted driver was not injured but the rear window of the car was shattered.
An 18-year-old faces fifteen charges, a 16-year-old faces five charges, and a 15-year-old faces sixteen charges. A press account from Nine News listing some of the charges did not list any that were laser-specific.
From Nine News
US: Drivers in Pa. lased by two teens
From ABC27 and Reading Eagle
World: Soccer star feels persecuted by laser attacks
"Everyone is speaking badly of me, but why don't people criticize the lasers that were being aimed into my eyes?” Ronaldo said at a press conference. He intends to ask the Union of European Football Associations to take action to ban laser pointers from stadiums.
From Bettor.com, ESPN, and Yahoo!Sports
Northern Ireland: Youths aim laser pen at drivers
Police are searching for the perpetrators.
From the Derry Journal
US: Rock concert fan injured by laser pointer-wielding crowd member
He was examined two days later at the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia. While slit-scan examination of the left eye showed no abnormalities, on an Amsler grid exam the patient drew a 2 mm circular spot. A fundus photograph showed a circular lesion in the fovea (magnified on the right):
Two weeks later the patient said there was some improvement in his vision. Fundus photography showed the lesion was smaller and less prominent; this was corroborated by optical coherence tomography (OCT).
The patient’s vision was expected to continue to improve over time.
From “Wills Eye Resident Case Series”, Jared D. Peterson, M.D. in the Review of Ophthalmology, November 7 2011. Introduction to case here; details of diagnosis, and discussion of eye injuries and treatment here.
US: 90 days for Washington state man who used a blue 1 watt laser on an officer
As part of the sentence, the judge ordered that McBride continue mental therapy even after he completes his sentence.
Original story from KXRO Newsradio. Remainder of story pieced together from searching “laser” at the Daily World paid website.
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UK: Laser aimed at train driver near Gainsborough station
Officers searched for suspects but did not find anyone. British Transport Police warn the public against misuse of laser pens.
From Rail.co
UK: Teens shine laser at bus driver
Police are trying to track down the person(s) in Shotton Colliery, south of Newcastle Upon Tyne, who shined a laser on the 24 Arriva bus service to Peterlee. In addition to the laser attack, there have been other reports of misbehavior in the area from youths in East Durham Homes council accommodations.
From the Sunderland Echo
US: 12-year-old charged with assault for laser pointer attack on classmate
The girl did not immediately report the October 5 2011 incident, but waited until after she had pain in her eye and blurred vision. Her parents took her to the hospital and then to an eye specialist. They reported the incident to police on October 11. As of October 12, she still had blurred vision; the status of her eye is unknown.
From Cleveland.com
Italy: Footballer says laser pointer not at fault for missed kick
The Champions League game was played October 18 2011 in Naples, between Bayern Munich and Napoli. Others on the Munich team had different opinions. Sports director Christian Nerlinger said “Laser points are not acceptable. It is a major disturbance and an impossible thing to do,” while midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said “Of course it is guess [sic] but I think there is little you can do about it.”
From Monsters and Critics
US: Oregon man aims laser-sighted gun at deputy
Michael Coats
From KVAL.com
Canada: RCMP looking for person aiming a laser at motorists
The RCMP said the person could be criminally charged if apprehended.
From Canada.com
US: Student injures policeman's eye during class lecture
The officer had been speaking at Union High School in Union, S.C. on the topic of negative classroom behavior.
From WYFF4.com and GoUpstate.com
UK: Laser pen aimed at vehicles and plane
Police received several calls that a group of people in a silver people carrier was shining a green laser on the A40 near Witney, at about 8 p.m on September 15 2011. Police also were contacted by air traffic control staff after an aircraft was targeted with a green laser at 8 p.m. The police declined to release details of the flight or its effect, if any, on the flight until statements had been taken from the pilots and crew. The fine for aiming at aircraft is up to £2,500.
From the Witney Gazette. This news item is being cross-posted in on the News/Aviation incidents page as well.
Australia: Driver has eye injury for days after laser attack
As of September 15, police have not found the perpetrator. There was a crackdown in the state of Western Australia in 2009. It is illegal to “cause fear or alarm in a driver by directing a laser pointer at a vehicle.” The penalty can be up to seven years in jail and an AUS $36,000 fine.
From InMyCommunity.com
US: Laser pointer arrest at free concert
The unnamed teen was one of three persons arrested September 10 2011 at the Virgin Mobile FreeFest concert . The other two arrests were not laser-related.
From the Baltimore Sun and the Merriweather Post Pavilion FAQ
Note: LaserPointerSafety.com is listing this incident as part of our coverage of non-aviation laser misuse. Because we see relatively few reports of laser misuse in the press, we list even minor reports like this one, for completeness.
Switzerland: Train driver flashblinded by laser pointer
The incident took place September 11 2011 at the Lausen train station, in the Swiss canton of Basel Country.
Police called for witnesses and issued a reminder that Class 3 and 4 laser pointers are considered dangerous by law. Sales of Class 3 and 4 lasers are illegal. Currently, owning or using them is not illegal, but a modification of the law is underway.
From World Radio Switzerland
US: Calif. report of laser pointer aimed at cars
From the Ukiah Daily Journal
Note: LaserPointerSafety.com is listing this incident as part of our coverage of non-aviation laser misuse. Because we see relatively few reports of laser attacks on vehicles, we list even minor reports like this one, for completeness.
US, China: Chinese warship used light to attack US spy ship
Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State at the time, sent the cable to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Rice said that China’s actions were “provocative and inconsistent” with the law of the sea” and “constitute serious harassment and elevate the risk of miscalculation.”
Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz, who broke the story, was unable to find out whether the light was a laser or a high-powered searchlight. Gertz also pointed to parallels with the 1997 suspected laser use by the Russian merchant ship Kapitan Man.
From the Washington Times
Analysis: Based on the color, LaserPointerSafety.com believes it is a conventional light. To produce a white light beam with lasers requires superimposition of three or more single-color lasers. This is more difficult than using a single-color laser, and would not provide any significant benefit in a situation such as the ship attack. (If countermeasure anti-laser goggles are being used, then it may be beneficial to use multiple wavelengths. It is more difficult to defend against multiple wavelengths, and doing so would reduce conventional visibility since red, green and blue light would all be blocked. Even here, balancing the wavelengths to produce a “white” light is not necessary.)
New Zealand: Youth injury leads to calls for restrictions
Dr. Sharp and the boy’s mother both called for restrictions on laser pointers in New Zealand. The boy’s laser was purchased in Thailand for $15 while on a family holiday in January 2011. The date of the laser injury is not known.Click to read more...
US: Philly man, 41, arrested for aiming at police cruiser
From Philly.com
Sweden: 10-year-old lases security guard in eye
The laser pointer had been bought during a trip outside of the country. Swedish law prohibits sale of pointers in stores, and their possession in a public place requires a permit.
The incident happened in Borås, at about 1 am on July 30 2011. News reports did not say if the guard was working for the apartment complex, or if he was a passerby who happened to be driving past the apartments.
From The Local
Malaysia: Laser shined on goalie during World Cup qualifying game
A still from the video (below) shows a laser being used to disrupt goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud
This is at least the third time that Malasysian fans have lased opponents. On December 26 2010, an AFF Cup finals match with Indonesia was delayed eight minutes after a laser was aimed on Indonesia’s goalkeeper Markus Harison. Indonesia’s president became involved after the game. News reports at the time said there was also a previous incident in a game with Vietnam.
From Guyism and YouTube
Greece: UK teen stabbed to death after laser pen harassment
Robert Sebbage and his friends had been shining lasers at taxis waiting in line outside a nightclub. The teens were rushed by two angry taxi drivers, brandishing a knife and a baseball bat. Sebbage was killed; Jordan Manson, 18, was taken to a hospital where he was operated on for stab wounds to the chest and neck. Three other teens were also taken to the hospital, with less serious injuries.
Taxi driver Stelios Morfis, 21, was charged with premeditated murder. A second driver was also arrested as an accomplice.
The stabbing happened in a resort town, Laganas, located on the Greek island of Zakynthos (Zante). The Telegraph noted that “in Laganas, the antics of young British tourists on ‘non-stop party’ holiday packages have provoked growing criticism from the Greek authorities and local residents.”
From The Telegraph. Thanks to Dr. Phil Tyley, Laser Safety Advisor, Senior Scientist, QinetiQ for bringing this to our attention.
UPDATE July 18 2011: Jordan Manson’s parents describe the attack to The Mirror.
US: Arizona man arrested for aiming laser at officers' feet
The case has been referred to the city prosecutor to see if charges will be brought.
From the Daily Courier
Japan: Momentary exposure to Class 3B laser causes retinal injury
“In previously reported cases of retinal injury from red (He–Ne; 632 nm) laser pointers, the maximum output was 5 mW or lower (Class 3a), and gazing time was 10 s or longer. Higher-energy, green (532 nm) laser pointers are increasingly displacing red lasers and, here also, injuries have been reported. We report a case of retinal light damage caused, after a moment's gaze, by a high-output (Class 3b) green laser pointer unavailable to the general public in Japan that was brought from overseas.”
From “A case of retinal light damage by green laser pointer (Class 3b)”, Ueda, T., Kurihara, I. & Koide, R. Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology, July 2011, Vol. 55, Issue 4, pp 428-430, (2011) 55: 428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-011-0031-5 First online July 1 2011.
Australia: Laser aimed near Sydney police car
He was released without charge pending further inquiries.
From a NSW Police Force press release
Greece: Demonstrators use lasers against police and to write on building
A view of the crowd (AP via Yahoo News)
Laser pointers were aimed at the police (DPA via Spiegel)
Green and red pointers were also aimed at the Parliament building, where the dots from red pointers spelled the Greek word for “thieves.” (DPA via Spiegel)
Northern Ireland: Retinal injury claimed in ambulance illumination
Corr characterized the incident as an assault, and said there should be a specific law to protect ambulance staff. The perpetrator has not been found.
From the Belfast Telegraph
US: Ocean City NJ residents report increasing laser harassment
Ocean City Patch said a “quick survey ... found repeated recent uses of laser beams to bother drivers, pets and pedestrians”. Persons interviewed gave anecdotes such as a laser being aimed from outside into a woman’s kitchen window, and a group of 20-year-olds who were lasing passersby including a man and his dog.
Because of aviation and other incidents last year, both police and the local Boardwalk Merchants’ Association (BMA) had asked stores to stop selling pointers. Some complied, or only sold lower-power red and yellow lasers. But since a few stores continued selling laser pointers, the competitive pressure caused others to resume sales. Ironically, one of the stores to resume sales was managed by the brother of the BMA’s president. The store listed the top selling items as being green laser pointers selling for $25 and $35. The manager said “he plans to continue selling them as long as they are legal to sell.”
To fix this, last November Ocean City’s state senator Jeff Van Drew introduced New Jersey Senate bill 2430, banning laser pointers above 1 milliwatt. This is five times less than the U.S. federal limit of 5 milliwatts as set by the Food and Drug Administration. S2430 is currently pending in the state Senate Commerce Committee.
From the Ocean City Patch.
Related LaserPointerSafety.com news stories about Ocean City and New Jersey laser troubles
- August 26 2010: Ocean City officials discuss city-wide ban on laser pointers after summer incidents.
- November 22 2010: State senate bill 2430 is introduced in November 2010 to ban laser pointers above 1 milliwatt.
- June 8 2011: Man buys laser in Ocean City, points it at helicopter, and is almost immediately arrested.
- June 11 2011: Residents report harassment; voluntary sales ban is not working.
- June 24 2011: Unanimous vote on the initial measure to ban Ocean City laser pointer sales and possession.
- July 14 2011: Unanimous vote on the “second reading” to make the Ocean City ban official.
- April 16 2013: North Wildwood NJ bans sale and possession of laser pointers above 1 mW.
- August 20 2013: New Jersey state legislature passes bill to ban laser pointer sales above 1 mW; sends bill to Governor for signature.
- October 17 2013: Governor Chris Christie vetoes bill to ban laser pointer sales, saying the 1 mW power limit was “arbitrary” and there was no criminal use of lasers between 1 mW and the federal limit of 5 mW in New Jersey.
US: Gun-shaped laser pointer confiscated
The accompanying story is primarily about a crackdown on curfew violators. Only the photo and its caption mentions laser pointer violations. The full-sized photo can be seen at the Virginian-Pilot website.
From Pilot Online.com. More information on gun-shaped laser pointers and other incidents involving gun/pointers is here.
US: Pointing laser at cars leads to chase, tasering
Clark was arrested on a previous outstanding warrant, and now faces additional charges of cocaine possession and resisting arrest. It appears that no charges were brought against his laser pointing actions.
From the Post-Tribune (Gary, Indiana)
US: $5,000 and 30 months probation for aiming at barges, planes, copter
Manz and two others, David Erminger, 28, and Matthew Mauck, 34, were arrested July 20 2010 in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. From news reports, it appears the most serious incident involved river barges. U.S. District Court Judge Jon McCalla told Manz “You’re pointing a laser at a tugboat with 40 barges and chemicals on it and you could sink the tow. You could kill people, take out the bridge... [The tugboat captains] thought they were being targeted by someone with a high-powered rifle.”
Erminger and Mauck have not yet been sentenced on charges of crimes of violence against maritime navigation and sabotage of aircraft. Government prosecutors will be recommending diversion, a more mild form of probation.
From the Memphis Commercial Appeal
UPDATE: On June 22 2011, Erminger and Mauck were placed on one-year diversion. The criminal charges against them will be erased as long as they stay out of trouble (no new charges) during the next year. From the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
US: Motorist pulls over after laser attack
The incident took place in the small town of Greece, New York, in Monroe County. McManus will appear in Greece Town Court on May 25.
From the Fairport - East Rochester Post and WHEC.com
Korea: Pop singer lased in eyes by fan during concert

From Allkpop.com
Australia: Cars targeted in Melbourne
From the Sydney Morning Herald
Australia: Man charged with selling, possessing laser pointers
Police said that last December the man advertised a laser pointer for sale online, and sold it to a Sydney buyer in January. Inquiries then led to the April 7 arrest.
From the Cowra Community News
US: Laser illumination sends officer to hospital
Guy Bassett aimed the laser out of his trailer at the Gilroy Garlic USA RV Park. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, and with pointing a laser at an officer. He was also arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor charge of battery.
From the Gilroy Patch and KRON-TV
US: Motorist chased, arrested after lasing other cars
The man was signaled to pull over by a plainclothes officer. He sped up instead and led the officer on a short chase through downtown. He was charged with drug possession and aggravated assault of a public servant.
From KENS 5 TV
Australia: Bus driver has eye injury from passing motorist
News reports said the driver was “in visible pain.” A photo showed the driver on his stopped bus, holding his eye. He told paramedics he had “disturbed vision”. He was taken to Sydney Hospital and was released the next day, March 12 2011.
Police are looking for the perpetrator.
From the Sunday Telegraph
Germany: Man charged with aiming at cars on highway
He told interrogators that others “have often been blinded in the same way.”
From Allgemeine Zeitung
US: Ohio man harasses radio station with green pointer
In addition to the laser harassment, the man also had “littered the entrance” to the stations with pornographic photos on Feb. 8
From Cleveland.com
Greece: Protesters use laser pointer against police

From MSNBC Photoblog
Australia: NSW man arrested for possession after traffic incident
From a New South Wales police force press release
Canada: Conviction in assault over laser pointer annoyance
A previous News item described the attack in more detail.
From the Ottawa Citizen
Japan: Boy who routinely stared into a laser pointer develops lesion in one eye
At the age of 11, he had normal 20/20 (1.0) vision in the left eye, but 20/100 vision (0.20) in the right. Examination of the right eye showed a yellow lesion or fibrous tissue surrounded by a subretinal hemorrhage in the right macula. At age 13, examination showed the lesion was leaking on fluorescein angiography. At age 14, there was no change.
The doctors elected not to perform any treatment due to the patient’s age and mental condition.
From “Choroidal Neovascularization in a Child Following Laser Pointer-Induced Macular Injury”, Fujinami, K., Yokoi, T., Hiraoka, M. et al. Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology November 2010, Vol. 54, Issue 6, pp 631-633 (2010) 54: 631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-010-0876-z First online January 21 2011.