Wichita man loses toy laser after pointing it at law enforcement plane, police say
A 56-year-old Wichita man had his toy laser taken from him after shining it at a law enforcement plane flying above the scene of a drive-by shooting, police said.
The laser incident, which appeared on a police report released Tuesday morning, happened at 2:08 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of South Terrace, which is near Kellogg and Oliver. The laser was pointed at a Kansas Highway Patrol plane helping police after the drive-by shooting.
Police interviewed and released the man, but took his laser as evidence.
It’s a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft, with the possibility of a hefty fine and up to five years in prison.
There were 13,304 incidents in 2023, up more than 3,800 from 2022, and more than 4.5 times from 2010, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. Seventeen of the incidents in 2023 happened in Kansas — three were in Wichita and the rest were in Olathe.
In December 2018, a then 29-year-old Wichita man faced up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 after he was accused of pointing a laser at a KHP plane trying to help Wichita police with a case. Armando Rodriguez-Leyva had the laser pointer charge dropped as part of a plea where he was sentenced for illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico, federal court records show. His sentence included time served and paying $10.
