VIDEO: Hutto police catch suspect hiding in bushes with drone
HUTTO, TEXAS - Hutto's mayor and police chief showed how they caught a suspect on the run using a drone.
In the video from Southeast Hutto near South FM 1660, from about three months ago, you can see a suspect in a neighborhood trying to hide from police.
"He saw the vehicles coming down the street, but he didn't see the drone," Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough said.
The underage suspect ran through backyards and jumped fences and went to hide in some bushes, but officers were able to track him down. He eventually comes out of the bushes with his hands up and gets on the ground as the officer approaches. He was taken into custody without incident.
Suspect found in bushes with the help of a drone by Hutto police
Police say the suspect was previously suspected of car burglaries, and the drone was used to help find him after those. Once he was released, he had to wear an ankle monitor but removed it without authorization.
In the case in the video, police were looking for him for violating probation.
"With officers on foot, he probably would have been successful had it not been for the drone being able to detect this thermal heat signature," Yarbrough said.
The drone can help officers track down suspects and missing people. It can let them know what people are wearing and whether they're armed.
Yarbrough says in this case, they could tell the suspect wasn't armed, so they only went in with a taser in the event they had to use it.
"The response and the use of force was consistent with the situation," he said.
The drone takes less than a minute to set up, and the drone pilot listens to radio traffic and gives directions to officers.
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The department's drone program only started in October of last year.
"We were able to see the return on the investment, which has been an added value. It's been a recurring theme of success that we've experienced from it," Yarbrough said.
Mayor Mike Snyder says he wanted to show what the police department can do.
"When they do really well or something like this drone footage, to me, this is something we need to show because the deterrent is the most important thing," he said. "I'd rather have the criminals not even come to Hutto than to come to Hutto for us to catch them."
Yarbrough says they've had about 10 successful drone deployments, including finding suspects and missing people, since the program started.