Local

Another laser incident involving Washington State Ferry boat captains

Just days after a man was fined thousands for shining a high-powered laser into the eyes of two Washington State Ferry boat captains, it’s happened again.

On New Year’s Eve, someone shined a green laser into the wheelhouse of the Tacoma while it was headed from Seattle to Bainbridge.

We aren’t talking about laser pointers people use as toys; these lasers can be six inches long, strong enough to point out individual stars in the sky, and can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

They have also caused real injuries to Washington State Ferry boat captains.

North Region Port Captain Jay Mooney says ferry boat captains have been the target of high-powered lasers several times in just the last year or so, most recently on New Year’s Eve when someone around the Alki area pointed a laser into the Tacoma three different times.

>> Related: Man fined $9,500 for shining laser at state ferry

“It was pretty disruptive, a little disorienting,” Mooney told us of the captain and mate.

“They were disoriented-- it kind of filled up the whole entire wheelhouse with a really bright green light.”

Fortunately—Mooney says—neither the captain nor the mate were injured; in October 2015, both were.

“We had another incident that was a lot more serious, up in Mukilteo. The master and mate were hit directly and they had minor burns to their eyes and retinas that they had to have follow-up treatment,” Mooney recalled.

Just Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that a fine against the person responsible for that incident has been assessed. The Whidbey Island man will pay $9,500 and could have been fined as much as $100,000.

“What we do—civil penalties and enforcement actions—are to act as a deterrent to prevent future incidents from happening with lasers,” explained Lt. Kate Haseley, a waterways-management representative with the United States Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard hopes the fine is working—but reports of laser incidents involving commercial and recreational vessels have increased as well.

The man in the 2015 was also charged criminally in Island County Court.

He paid more than $3,000 on top of the civil fine and was ordered to serve 15 days in jail.

Stories trending on KIRO 7

Colton Harris-Moore: Barefoot bandit is 'not who I am'
Hit-and-run vehicular homicide suspect has history of DUIs
Download the KIRO 7 News app for breaking news alerts
'Severely impaired' pilot found passed out drunk in cockpit 
Utah dad shares video of 2-year-old saving twin brother from fallen dresser