Man arrested after laser shone at police aircraft

A man has been arrested in relation to a laser that was shone at the National Police Air Service (NPAS) fixed-winged plane yesterday evening (Tuesday 10 March).

NPAS was deployed to Telford to assist officers with locating a suspect involved in a road rage related incident in Ketley Bank at around 6.20pm.

While assisting West Mercia Police, officers on the ground were alerted to a laser being shone at the aircraft.

Enquiries quickly led police to an address on Old Office Road in Dawley, where a man aged 60, was located and arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

He remains in police custody as officers carry out further enquiries.

Detective Inspector Paul Drury said: “Shining a laser at any aircraft is inherently dangerous but doing so while it is assisting officers with an ongoing incident puts both the crew and the public at even greater risk.

“Our colleagues at NPAS play a vital role in keeping our communities safe, and actions like this could have had serious consequences.

“Thanks to swift enquiries, a man has now been arrested and remains in custody as we continue with our enquiries.”

A man who was arrested in relation to the road rage incident on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence has now been released on bail.