State troopers on Thursday night arrested a man suspected of pointing lasers into the cockpits of planes flying above Denver.
At 9:15 p.m. Thursday, troopers heard radio traffic from commercial airplane pilots reporting a green laser being pointed into their cockpits, the agency said in a news release Friday.
Troopers in a plane located the source of the laser, and other troopers on the ground tracked it to East 64th Avenue and Monaco Street in Commerce City. Investigators saw the suspect point a laser at passing planes multiple times, including the State Patrol’s plane, according to the release.
Troopers arrested Jose Duarte-Campos, 41, on suspicion of unlawfully aiming a laser at an aircraft, driving under the influence of drugs and possession of methamphetamine.
Online court records show Duarte-Campos was previously convicted of resisting arrest.
“Laser strikes on aircraft are a serious federal offense and pose a significant risk to pilots, passengers and the public,” the State Patrol said in the release. “Anyone witnessing such activity is encouraged to report it to local law enforcement immediately.”
