AUBURN, Wash. — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Auburn police used drone technology to safely arrest three suspects following an armed robbery reported this week.
On Wednesday, officers responded to the 1500 block of 31st Street SE, where a masked group allegedly assaulted a man and threatened him with a firearm while trying to steal his belongings.
Investigators tracked some of the suspects to a property in the 31700 block of 102nd Avenue SE. Using a small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), officers got an overhead view of the area. Because of that, they could see a trailer hidden behind a high fence.
Officers were able to stay safely behind cover as they called out to the suspects.
Two of them came out, and the drone showed they were not armed. It also showed a third suspect trying to hide.
Auburn police take suspects into custody
Eventually, they were all taken into custody without incident.
A fourth suspect was arrested elsewhere.
“The Auburn Police Department’s trained sUAS pilots regularly use drone technology as an officer-safety and de-escalation tool, helping bring dynamic incidents to safer resolutions for both officers and community members,” police said in a post on Facebook.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
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