Montgomery County Police say that a recently deployed drone helped apprehend a repeat shoplifter in Silver Spring.
MCPD’s Drone as First Responder Program introduced an unmanned aircraft, with the call sign Raven, to provide critical support to the department and better serve the residents of the county, according to a press release.
Raven played a role in the recent capture of a 31-year-old repeat shoplifter, who had been stealing from the CVS Pharmacy in the 9500 block of Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring on multiple occasions. In each case, the unnamed male suspect left the store before patrol officers responded.
In the most recent incident on November 15, the 3rd District officers were called to the Georgia Ave. CVS at approximately 12:33 p.m. The suspect left the store before the officers arrived, however, Raven was deployed and saw the suspect leaving the store area and boarding a Metrobus. The drone tracked the bus, providing the officers with its location.
Officers stopped the Metrobus at the intersection of Georgia Ave. and Colesville Road around 12:50 p.m. and took the individual into custody.
Charges are pending for the November 15 case, and the investigation into previous shoplifting cases is ongoing, MCPD said.
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