Man Who Pointed Laser At LBPD Helicopter Gets 6 Months In Prison

LONG BEACH, CA — A 46-year-old man was sentenced to six months in prison Thursday for pointing a high-powered laser at aircraft in the Long Beach area for almost a year.

Long Beach resident Mark Allen Barger was arrested in January 2023 after investigators caught several instances of him pointing the laser at the Long Beach Police Department's FOX helicopter, commercial airliners and private planes near the airport.

Barger pleaded guilty in October 2023 in downtown Los Angeles to two federal counts of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Through their investigation, detectives learned that for nearly one year, an unknown individual would anticipate the arrival of aircraft, and intentionally use a laser to point towards the cockpit of these aircraft," LBPD said in a statement.

Pilots of the LBPD helicopter narrowed down where the laser came from and found it was in the 1500 to 1600 block of Silva Street in Long Beach.

The LBPD released an aerial video from its helicopter two years ago in which a laser is seen apparently emanating from a home below and flashing back and forth in the direction of the aircraft.

City News Service contributed to this report.