TPSO SEIZE LASER WEAPONS AFTER TRAFFIC STOP
HAMMOND, Louisiana — Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards has announced the seizure of several illegal laser-emitting guns after deputies stopped and searched a mini van suspiciously traveling 45 mph in a 45 mph zone.
The driver, Gareth Petero, (WM) 33 of Slidell, was booked at parish jail and charged with 2 counts of illegal possession of laser tag paraphernalia and 1 count of failure to operate a mini van at a speed much lower than the posted speed limit.
“Unfortunately laser crime has been on the rise over the past several months,” Edwards told HAN. According to Edwards, the upcoming addition of a new laser tag family fun center on SW Railroad Ave. will only spur more trouble for the community.
Edwards says residents can take a number of precautionary measures to reduce their risk of being victim to laser crime.
“Simple things such as parking in well-lit parking lots at night, reinforcing locks on doors at home, and not wearing laser tag vests in public can greatly lower your chances of suffering from a laser tag-related injury,” Edwards said.
Hammond Mayor Mayson Foster has also urged safety this holiday season, but he insists that following the sheriff’s “pea-brained cautionary measures” are not enough.
“I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anybody. Every single day that I’m mayor and sitting in that office, I’m packing a piece. Laser pistol. Infrared. Rechargeable. If its late at night and a guy spots me and thinks about popping a proverbial cap, he’ll see this and think again,” warned Foster.
1 year ago