WOODWAY, Wash. — The Coast Guard is seeking information after someone pointed a blue laser light at a Station Seattle boat crew who was conducting search and rescue operations Monday night near Point Wells off Woodway.
The crew aboard a 45-foot response boat at first said they were OK to complete their search and reported no immediate injuries from the laser strike. But several minutes later, multiple crew members said they had pain and irritation in their eyes.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound got the first report from the Station Seattle crew that a blue laser struck the boat’s cabin. The laser strike reportedly came from the general area of Point Wells.
Coast Guard officials say laser pointers are dangerous to Coast Guard air and boat crews due to glare, afterimage, flash blindness or temporary loss of night vision.
If a laser is shined in the eyes of an air crew member, the aircraft must stop its mission, according to Coast Guard flight rules.
Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft or vessel is a felony.
Coast Guard investigators are working with local law enforcement on the investigation. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact investigators at 206-220-7170 and visit: https://www.uscg.mil/Units/Coast-Guard-Investigative-Service/.
Cox Media Group
