Hanford police arrest man for pointing laser light at sheriff's plane

The Kings County Sheriff's Office airplane was on patrol and flying over the city of Hanford when a bright red laser illuminated the cockpit, blinding the flight crew for several minutes and causing them to take evasive action to avoid crashing.  

Using the high technology onboard surveillance camera equipment, the sheriff's office airplane flight crew was able to identify the person shinning the laser at them and they were able to see he was standing in front of a home in the on N. Richmond St. with two children.

The Sheriff's Office airplane flight crew then contacted the Hanford Police Department who arrived on scene within one minute.  The Hanford police took the initial report since the incident occurred in their jurisdiction.

The suspect, identified as Michael Quair, was found still holding the laser in his hand and he told the Hanford Police officers he was showing his children how to use the laser device.  Quair was subsequently arrested and booked into the Kings County Jail for a felony charge of pointing a laser at an aircraft.

The Kings County Sheriff's Office takes the crime of shining a laser at an aircraft very seriously. The intensity of a laser pointed at an aircraft blinds the flight crew and could have resulted in the airplane crashing. A laser can also cause permanent damage to the eyes of those inside the aircraft.

In 2014, a Fresno man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for shining a laser at a police helicopter. Additionally, all aircraft laser incidents are reported to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The Sheriff's Office is reminding the citizens of Kings County, should you point a laser at an aircraft you will be pursued and arrested.