An armed robbery suspect threatened to kill a Hurts Donut employee and made off with two phones early Tuesday before Oklahoma City police used a drone to pinpoint his location inside the shop and arrest him without incident. The employee was alone with the gunman when officers arrived on NW 23rd Street just after 1:30 a.m.
Oklahoma City police responded to a robbery in progress at Hurts Donut at around 1:31 a.m. on Tuesday, according to KOKH. Officers arrived at the donut shop in the 600 block of NW 23rd Street after a witness reported seeing an armed man enter the business. Police deployed a drone that confirmed an armed suspect was inside with a single employee, allowing officers to move in with a clear picture of the situation before making contact.
Suspect Taken Into Custody Without a Struggle
Despite the presence of a weapon, the arrest itself unfolded without confrontation. Sunday Omopariola was taken into custody by officers with no altercation, the outlet's report states. The employee who had been inside the shop with him told investigators that Omopariola threatened to kill them during the encounter and took both their personal phone and the business phone before officers arrived.
Domestic Dispute Allegedly Preceded the Robbery
Investigators learned that Omopariola was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute in the presence of a minor prior to the robbery at Hurts Donut, according to the same report. That detail led to Omopariola being arrested and charged with several felony charges connected to both the domestic assault and the armed robbery, per the outlet's account. No further details on the specific charges, the minor involved, or the relationship between the domestic incident and the robbery were included in the report.
Drones Becoming a Regular Tool for OKC Police
The use of a drone to scope out an active crime scene before officers moved in is not an isolated tactic for the department. In a separate incident in August, Oklahoma City police used a drone's high-intensity spotlight to disrupt an attack by multiple dogs before tracking the animals to a nearby home where officers made arrests, according to a report from Officer. Elsewhere, aerial surveillance has also helped close out robbery cases quickly; a September report from KOLD described police crediting a drone with guiding officers directly to a suspect after a brief foot pursuit following a Chinatown-area robbery.
In the Hurts Donut case, the drone's role appears to have been confirming exactly who and what officers were dealing with before any officer stepped through the door — a difference that likely mattered given the threat made against the employee inside. No additional details on the specific felony counts, bond status, or Omopariola's court appearance have been released.
