Laser

GLENDALE — Authorities are mulling whether to press charges against an 18-year-old man arrested during the weekend on suspicion of pointing a high-power laser at a police helicopter and momentarily blinding its two pilots. Mher Urfalyan was arrested at 6:35 p.m. Saturday after he allegedly pointed the laser at the two helicopter pilots, one each from Burbank and Glendale police departments, who were on regular patrol, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The pilots had difficultly seeing after being flashed with the green-colored laser, Lorenz said, but they never lost sight of the source — a white 2008 Nissan Altima, according to police reports.

BURBANK — Five boys were arrested Saturday after they shone a hand-held green laser beam at a police helicopter that was patrolling the downtown area of the city, officials said Tuesday. The Burbank Police pilot and Glendale Police flight officer had been conducting a routine patrol at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the helicopter, which both police departments use, in the area of San Fernando Road and Palm Avenue when a laser beam illuminated the cockpit, Burbank Police Sgt. Travis Irving said.

A 22-year-old may face felony charges for shining a hand-held laser at police and news helicopters. NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- A 22-year-old Malibu man was arrested Thursday night for pointing a hand-held laser at a Channel 7 helicopter and a police helicopter, police said. Jason Paul Grima was arrested on suspicion of pointing a laser at an aircraft in flight, Glendale Police Lt. Carl Povilaitis said. There are state laws and Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibiting the interference of aircraft operations with lasers, said Karla Borden, safety program manager with the administration.

Judy Seckler GLENDALE -- Representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey met recently with Glendale city officials to request permission to place two new seismic instruments near the Glendale (2) Freeway adjacent to the Mayor's Bicentennial Park. The city's participation will make it the latest member of the Southern California integrated global positioning network -- a program that focuses on the Los Angeles area. City officials are enthusiastic.

In the spirit of the holidays, we hope that five boys who live in the Glendale-Burbank area have been converted into five wise men. At least, we assume they’ll be wiser in the future when it comes to handling two things: portable lasers, and any moving vehicle with a black-and-white exterior. The youths, aged 13, 14, 15 and 16, were arrested last weekend for shining a hand-held laser into the windows of a police helicopter manned by Glendale and Burbank officers, who run a joint patrol of the area.

The lobby of HealthCare Partners Medical Spa was covered in Earth tones and a coco-tamarind scent was in the air when Nancy Semaan appeared. "We tried to make it where you walk through the door and you're already in a little calmer space than from where you came," said Semaan, registered nurse and spa director. The lightly-flavored lime and lemon water, coffee and cushy seating in the greeting area of the spa is meant to put customers at ease with an often-times new experience, she said.

Patient recovery time and pain is lessened as doctors can now use laser technology in doing knee operations.Doctors are using cutting-edge laser technology to help them more accurately align artificial knees and hips allowing patients to heal faster and suffer less from operations that a few years ago were daunting. Dr. Von Kilaghbian, a leading orthopedic surgeon who lives in La Cañada Flintridge, uses the laser-and-computer-based Stryker Navigation System that helps him align joints much closer to the original joint placement, he said.

GLENDALE — Officer Ed Malouf spent part of a recent evening sitting on his police motorcycle pointing a laser at cars traveling on Victory Boulevard and Thompson Avenue. A member of Glendale Police Department’s Traffic Detail, Malouf on Friday was checking cars’ speeds and issuing tickets to drivers who broke the posted 35 mph limit. Most stuck to the limit or drove below it, but some sped by and were picked up by Malouf’s laser. “You make a visual estimation first on how someone is going, then you confirm it with the laser,” he said.

The Glendale City Council has approved a resolution accepting a $485,360 homeland security grant from the state. Most of the funding will be applied to equipment, including $66,000 for four field medical shelters to be used in case of a major emergency involving large number of casualties. The city will also purchase a response command unit for $65,000. The unit will be outfitted for the transportation of medical supplies. Other medical purchases will be 20 transportable beds for field use, and 12 evacuation chairs to assist in taking handicapped, injured or medically fragile people out of multi-level buildings.

Kelly Wills is a typical teenager. He likes hiking and going to Dodger games and Six Flags Magic Mountain with his friends. The only difference between him and other teenagers is that he's working on a scientific instrument that will be going to Mars ? and he's blind. But having a degenerative eye condition hasn't stopped Wills from making an impact alongside engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. Since May 31, the 18-year-old Middletown, Ohio, native has been working as an intern at JPL, aiding in the development of a tunable laser spectrometer ?

Top of the late morning to you. Today's news bites come from all around. Dip in and check 'em out.  Rep. Howard Berman, locked in a tough election campaign against fellow Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman , issued a press release condemning a New Mexico group who advocates shutting off aid to Israel. Confused yet? North Hollywood Patch  Ultazone in Sherman Oaks is offering unlimited Laser Tag tonight as part of a doggie fundraiser. So, yes, you still look dorky, but it's for a good cause.

Two men were arrested Friday after they allegedly flashed a red laser at a Glendale police helicopter, officials said. Dylan Chavez, 18, of La Crescenta and Jason Phillips, 20, of Glendale were arrested just after 9:30 p.m. Friday on suspicion of discharging a laser at an aircraft. The laser struck the aircrew three times, with each flash lasting three to four seconds following the helicopter's flight pattern, according to Glendale police reports. The aircrew used an infrared camera to pinpoint the laser's origin to a home backyard, where they spotted one of the men allegedly trying to hide behind a boat.

An 18-year-old North Hollywood man has been indicted under a recently approved law that makes it a federal crime to deliberately point a laser at an aircraft. Adam Gardenhire was arrested this morning at his North Hollywood home after allegedly pointing a laser at a private Cessna aircraft on approach to Bob Hope Airport on March 29. He then allegedly pointed the laser at a police helicopter that had been called in to find the source of the flash. Gardenhire was named in a two-count indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles under a statute signed by President Obama that makes such laser incidents a federal crime.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested Friday after he allegedly flashed a laser at a Glendale police helicopter, officials said. The police helicopter was patrolling the area of Pacific Avenue and the Ventura (134) Freeway about 10 p.m. when a green laser beam suddenly flashed over the flight crew, according to police. The helicopter pinpointed the laser's origin to a home in the 400 block of Myrtle Street. When officers arrived at the home, they found a group of men running into the home.

The FBI is now investigating an incident in which an 18-year-old North Hollywood man allegedly pointed a laser at a private jet landing Thursday night at Bob Hope Airport, and then at the police helicopter sent to find him, officials said. At about 8:45 p.m., the private jet pilot contacted airport police to report being “hit by a green laser twice on approach to the airport,” said Victor Gill, a spokesman for the airfield. Police helicopters from Los Angeles and Pasadena were dispatched to investigate the incident, Gill said.

A 30-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after he allegedly flashed a high-powered blue laser twice at a Glendale police helicopter, officials said. Avo Garabedian was taken into custody about 10 p.m. at Calle La Primavera in Glendale on suspicion of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft after the aircrew spotted him and he tried fleeing the scene, said Glendale Police Sgt. Steve Robertson, who oversees the air unit. The incident was the first time that the aircrew has been struck with a one-watt, or 1,000 milliwatt, blue light laser, which is significantly more powerful than a green laser, Robertson said.

A 31-year-old Glendale man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he flashed a green laser at a police helicopter crew, officials said. Erick Medina faces one felony count of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is scheduled to appear July 20 in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Burbank. Medina was arrested in May after he allegedly flashed a green laser from his Elk Avenue apartment several times and directly at a Glendale police helicopter crew on patrol, officials said.

A 19-year-old Glendale man was arrested late Friday after he allegedly flashed a green laser device at a police helicopter, officials said. Narek Karapetyan was taken into custody about 11:15 p.m. at Glenwood Road and School Street after shining the laser twice at a Glendale and Burbank police aircrew, Sgt. Steve Robertson, the pilot, said. The arrest is the second of its kind this month in Glendale, in addition to a similar incident in Burbank. The FAA has logged 11 laser-pointing incidents for aircraft at or near Bob Hope Airport so far this year, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

GLENDALE — A 31-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of flashing a laser three times at a police helicopter crew, officials said. Erick Medina of Glendale was taken into custody in his Elk Avenue apartment in connection with discharging a laser at an aircraft, according to Glendale Police Department reports. It was the second arrest connected to pointing a laser at a police helicopter in less than a week, prompting officials to re-issue warnings about the dangers the lights pose to pilots.

BURBANK — A 30-year-old Burbank man was arrested Sunday night after he allegedly pointed a laser at a Glendale police helicopter crew as they were preparing to land at Bob Hope Airport. Rafael Torosyan was arrested on suspicion of discharging a laser at an aircraft, Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen said. He allegedly flashed the laser at the Glendale air crew four times before he was followed and eventually arrested, police said. The air crew had just completed a patrol of the skies and were returning to the airport about 10 p.m. when a green light suddenly lit up the helicopter’s cockpit, police said.