Auburn Police Department apprehended a man on Sunday, Nov. 30, after technology took a surprising turn in their favor. A domestic disturbance call led to a search that concluded with a drone locating the suspect perched atop a residential building. The man had allegedly been involved in a domestic violence incident earlier that day, reported KOMO News.
The events unfolded when police were dispatched to a home on the 1500 block of 29th Street SE following reports of a man breaking items inside the residence and wielding a knife. Upon arrival, officers found that the man had fled, prompting a search which involved K9 teams to initially track him. It was soon augmented with drone assistance, a tactic that quickly proved to be effective in finding the suspect hidden on a nearby rooftop. The Auburn Police Department stated that establishing probable cause for "domestic violence malicious mischief in the third degree, as well as exposing a minor to domestic violence" was a critical component of their search, as noted by the Auburn Examiner.
The drone, described as an Unmanned Aircraft System by the Auburn Police Department, proved to be a pivotal tool to quickly and safely locate the suspect. He complied with officers' verbal commands, and made the decision to climb down, at which point he was taken into custody without further incident, detailed further in a MyNorthwest report.
"A job well done by everyone involved," the police said after the incident, underlining the success of the multidisciplinary approach to apprehend the suspect safely. The case continues to be under investigation, with no injuries reported connected to the domestic violence call or the subsequent arrest, as per the Auburn Police Department’s announcement, as per Auburn Examiner.
