A 42-year-old Seattle man was arrested last week after Kent police say he tried to flee an East Hill oil-change business in a stolen 2015 Dodge Challenger, touching off a foot pursuit that ended only after a police drone tracked him through yards and fences near a school. Officers also recovered a loaded handgun the man allegedly tossed into a fenced lot as he ran.
According to iLoveKent, the trouble started when employees at the oil-change shop realized the Challenger belonged to a customer and called 911 after learning the car had been reported stolen. The man, who was the vehicle's only occupant, tried to make a run for it in the car itself — climbing back inside and attempting to reverse out of the service stall with the hood still open. He struck a smaller occupied vehicle parked behind him in the process.
Traffic Officer Brennan reportedly arrived in less than a minute, with additional Kent officers showing up within a few minutes after that. Officers positioned their vehicles to partially block the Challenger, and the man became stuck. Police say he ignored repeated commands to stop before abandoning the car and running from officers on foot.
Drone Picks Up the Chase Over Fences and Trees
What followed was a pursuit that stretched over multiple fences, according to police. As the man ran through neighboring properties, officers say he discarded a loaded handgun into a fenced area at another business — a detail Officer Sloan reportedly witnessed directly. The man then disappeared from view in an area with scattered tree cover, leaving ground officers without a clear line of sight.
That's when the department's drone took over. The aircraft located the man and gave Officer Sloan an overhead view good enough to direct officers toward his exact position, relaying updates on his route as he moved. Sloan also alerted officers that the man was about to enter school property, prompting them to approach from several directions. The man was arrested without further incident.
Police recovered an FN Herstal handgun chambered in 5.7×28 mm and loaded with 18 rounds. The man suffered injuries from barbed wire during the pursuit and was medically cleared before being booked into the King County Jail, police said. He was booked on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, unlawfully possessing a firearm, hit-and-run involving an occupied vehicle, obstructing, driving with a suspended license, and violating an ignition interlock restriction. Police also said the man had a prior felony conviction. The police account did not identify the man, the businesses involved, or the school, and it did not provide the incident's exact date.
A Pointed Warning From Kent Police
Police framed the arrest as a cautionary tale for anyone tempted to run. “Kent officers will pursue you if you run,” the department said, adding that “drones will assist them in quickly locating you and your evidence.” The message continued bluntly: “You will go to jail. Perhaps crime elsewhere or better yet, not at all.”
This wasn't an isolated use of drone technology for Kent police. Earlier in October, officers used a drone during a domestic-violence response and spotted a suspect walking from a house into a nearby tree line, according to the Kent Reporter; officers later found him hiding in the trees. Back in May 2024, the same outlet reported that a Kent officer deployed a drone to feed directive information to patrol units and a K-9 team, which ultimately located and took a suspect into custody.
Drones have turned up in other regional cases too. In a 2025 stolen-car incident, Kent police used a drone to find two juveniles on a nearby trail after a K-9 unit tracked the car's 14-year-old driver, per KOMO News. And in October, King County deputies used a drone to clear a White Center apartment while searching for a domestic-violence suspect, according to FOX 13 Seattle, which reported deputies also found a firearm with a loaded magazine and a round chambered inside a children's closet.
A Bigger Drone Program on the Horizon
The East Hill arrest comes as Kent Police weighs a more permanent expansion of its aerial capabilities. The department is considering a drone first-responder pilot program for 2027, the Kent Reporter reported in September. Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said a full-scale version of such a program would likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, underscoring that incidents like the East Hill pursuit currently rely on smaller, targeted drone deployments rather than a dedicated first-responder fleet.
Under Washington law, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree is a Class C felony, while first-degree unlawful possession is a Class B felony, according to the Washington State Legislature. The statute sets out the elements of second-degree unlawful firearm possession. No charges, court filings, or case outcome had been reported at the time of the iLoveKent account.
