REDMOND, Wash. — After an alleged shoplifter was reported at a store in Redmond, police deployed a drone to follow the man as he left the shopping center, the Redmond Police Department (RPD) posted on X.
The Drone as a First Responder (DFR) followed the man for more than a mile starting on Northeast 76th Street. The operator relayed his location to officers, which led to an arrest, RPD said.
Drone video posted by RPD shows the man get into his car, drive from the store’s parking lot and onto highway 520.
Officers arrested the man without incident and said he had a criminal history of armed robbery.
The Redmond Police Department launched the Drones as First Responders program in April 2024 to, “improve response times, provide real-time aerial surveillance to patrol units on the ground before they can arrive at an incident,” RPD said on their website.
🚨DFR technology leads officers to a shoplifting suspect with criminal history🚨
— RedmondWaPD (@RedmondWaPD) April 10, 2025
On March 13, around 9:30 p.m., Redmond officers responded to a reported shoplift in progress at a retail store in the 17700 block of NE 76thSt. Store employees described the male suspect and stated… pic.twitter.com/aXOUnUPgBh
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