There has been a “dramatic increase” in laser strikes at Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane international airports, and the Seattle FBI office is asking for tips.
Those with tips are asked to call the FBI office at 1-800-225-5324 or submit online at tips.fbi.gov.
Pilots landing at the airports have experienced lasers being shone into their cockpits, Spokane County said in a news release. Lasers can interfere with aircraft landing by distracting and even temporarily blinding pilots and crew, putting them at risk of injury, along with passengers and residents in the area.
The number of laser incidents has increased since March 2024, the county said.
Laser incidents have been reported in SeaTac, Vashon, White Center, Burien, West Kent, Lake Meridian Park, East Hill and Des Moines neighborhoods, along with Spokane’s West Plains, Nine Mile Falls, Green Bluff and Hillyard neighborhoods. The FBI does not believe the Sea-Tac and Spokane cases are related.
A 45-year-old man was arrested last week for pointing a green laser at three different aircraft near the Spokane airport, the county reported. The Spokane Regional Air Support Unit Air 1 helicopter noticed the green laser hitting its cockpit and locked on to the man’s position where he was hiding behind a power pole.
Pointing a laser at any aircraft is a federal offense, carrying a maximum prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine.
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