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2 Men Arrested In Rancho Cordova For Pointing Laser At Aircraft

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (AP) -- Two men have been arrested in Northern California after deputies say they pointed a laser at an aircraft.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the pilot of a California Highway Patrol aircraft led police to the men he says pointed a high-powered laser at his aircraft Sunday night.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputies found and arrested the two men in Rancho Cordova. Sheriff's officials cited a 2014 FBI report explaining that a powerful hand-held laser pointed at an aircraft can illuminate the cockpit, disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots.

It is a federal felony to knowingly point the beam of a laser at an aircraft.

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