A domestic violence suspect who fled from a Cimarron Hills home on foot was found hiding in a nearby field after a sheriff's drone spotted him running and a Colorado Springs police dog tracked him down. Andrew Lazcano, 45, is now being held without bond on multiple charges following the multi-agency operation near Peterson Road.
According to the FOX21 News Colorado, a regional communications center received a report of a possible domestic violence incident around 8:20 a.m., sending deputies to the 1200 block of Cree Drive near Peterson Road and Galley Road. That address sits in Cimarron Hills, an unincorporated community near Peterson Space Force Base, according to property records cited by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. The domestic violence victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, per the report.
By the time deputies arrived, Lazcano had already left the home, and responders believed he was potentially armed with a gun. The sheriff's office Fugitive Impact Team and a Drone as a First Responder unit joined the search, while the Colorado Springs Police Department sent an available K9 to assist. The sheriff's office explains that its Drone as a First Responder program runs through the Intelligence-Based Operations Center, which provides real-time aerial surveillance before and during deputy arrival on scene.
Drone Spots Him Running, K9 Koa Closes In
The drone located Lazcano running on foot, and CSPD K9 Koa began tracking him from there. The dog found Lazcano hiding in a field, and the K9 team along with the sheriff's Fugitive Impact Team took him into custody without incident. No weapons were found during the arrest, according to the sheriff's office.
Koa joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in April as a Belgian Malinois–German Shepherd mix born in Poland in June 2024, certified in patrol apprehension and firearms detection, per the department's own announcement. In August, the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. selected Koa to receive a custom bullet- and stab-protective vest, as reported by KRDO.
This is not Lazcano's first run-in with Colorado Springs police. Back in 2016, 9News reported that a 35-year-old Andrew Lazcano was arrested on robbery charges after attempting to carjack a pickup truck at gunpoint — but couldn't drive off because he didn't know how to operate the truck's manual stick-shift transmission.
Facing Five Charges, Held Without Bond
Lazcano was booked into El Paso County Jail on charges of parole violation, second-degree assault, menacing, third-degree criminal trespass and harassment. Under Colorado's mandatory arrest law, C.R.S. § 18-6-803.6, officers are legally required to make an arrest without delay whenever probable cause exists for a domestic violence crime, removing any discretion to simply issue a warning, according to legal analysis from FindLaw. Separately, under C.R.S. § 18-1-1001, people arrested on domestic violence allegations in Colorado must be held without bond until they appear before a judge for a mandatory protection order hearing within 48 hours of booking, per a breakdown from Bacharach Law.
The second-degree assault charge alone carries significant exposure. Sentencing guides from Lawrence Law Firm note that the offense is a Class 4 felony normally punishable by 2 to 6 years in state prison, but it can trigger a mandatory minimum of 5 to 16 years with probation barred entirely if prosecutors pursue it as a violent crime.
Part of a Broader Pattern in El Paso County
The capture fits a pattern the sheriff's office has highlighted throughout 2026, with IBOC drone operators supporting multiple felony arrests in unincorporated areas, including locating a burglary suspect in Stratmoor Valley in May and a wanted sex offender in Stratmoor Hills in July. Sheriff's office spokesperson Joseph Roybal said deputies are working diligently to respond to calls for service and to secure the arrest of dangerous domestic violence offenders within the Pikes Peak region.
Roybal added that deputies and drone operators are partnering with local law enforcement agencies to make communities safer, and he specifically thanked the Colorado Springs Police Department and K9 Koa for their assistance. The arrest comes days after Hoodline reported that the initial search sparked alerts sent to residents near Peterson Road on September 26 warning of a search for an armed domestic violence suspect, before a follow-up notice confirmed the situation had been resolved. It took nearly a week for the sheriff's office to publicly name Lazcano and detail the charges against him.
