‘It wasn’t me’

A UA student was referred to the Dean of Students Office for disorderly conduct for shining a laser at cars passing by Árbol de la Vida Residence Hall on Nov. 25 at 12:15 a.m.

A man flagged down a University of Arizona Police Department officer to report that someone had shone a green laser at his car from Árbol de la Vida. The man told the officer that someone was routinely pointing the laser at cars as they drove by the residence hall.

The man was also able to identify which window the laser was coming from. The officer met with the on-duty resident assistant, who took him to the room that the man had pointed out.

When the resident opened the door, he blurted out, “I didn’t do it.” The officer asked the student if he had a laser in his room and the student said “yes,” and grabbed a handheld laser pointer from his window ledge.

The officer told the student there had been reports of someone shining a green laser at motorists as they drove by. The student said he would shine the laser in front of pedestrians as they walked along the sidewalk but denied shining the laser at drivers.

The student said he’s built a laser before and knows how dangerous they can be if they’re pointed at people, cars and planes. The student told the officer he did it because he was just being a dumb college student.

The officer completed a referral form for the Dean of Students Office on the student’s behalf.

– Follow Stephanie Casanova @_scasanova_