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Community and drone technology help Renton Police in the arrest of hit-and-run suspect

Renton Police Heat detection Drone Renton Police Department

RENTON, Wash. — The Renton Police Department (RPD) was able to arrest a hit-and-run suspect with the help of drone technology and from local residents on Tuesday evening.

Police say that the 23-year-old suspect crashed a car on the 14100 block of Maple Valley Highway at 9:25 p.m.

After the crash, he is said to have abandoned the car and ran off with the stolen handgun.

After seeing a suspicious person running through their yards, Residents in the area called 911.

Police deployed a drone with heat detection to search for the suspect.

Residents went above and beyond helping officers by finding a heat source for the drone and finding a discarded handgun in their yard.

The suspect was found in hiding in bushes near where the crash happened.

The handgun that was found had been illegally modified into a machine gun.

Officers were able to find the suspect’s wallet and a handgun magazine at the car crash.

The suspect was arrested on charges of illegal gun possession, stolen gun possession, and a hit-and-run accident.

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