On June 17 in Forest Park, Georgia, police used a drone to catch a man wanted for credit card fraud after he ran from officers and tried to hide in the back of a parked semi trailer.
How it happened: Officers responded to a call about someone using stolen credit cards at an Army surplus store. When they tried to arrest the man, he ran. Police tracked him with a drone as he slipped behind businesses and eventually climbed into a closed trailer.
- Joshua Wilson, who runs the department’s drone program, flew the drone from the command center and spotted the suspect on camera before he got too hot inside the metal trailer.
- “He didn’t know he was being watched from above. There’s no ventilation… and he’s in a metal box on a very hot day,” Wilson said.
The drone guided officers straight to the spot, helping them reach the man before things got worse.
This real-time drone response program helps police and keeps all involved safer, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Police have not shared more about the suspect or what charges he may face.