Wichita police used a drone to track down a 46-year-old suspected of robbing a Circle K in southwest Wichita on Friday.
According to a news release, officers responded at 5:20 a.m. Friday to a robbery call at the Circle K at 1254 S. Tyler.
An employee told officers a man entered the store armed with a handgun and demanded cash from the register. The employee handed over cash, and the suspect fled westbound on a bicycle.
Officers found a bicycle just west of Tyler that appeared to have crashed. A responding officer deployed a drone and quickly spotted a man hopping fences in the neighborhood west of the gas station. Officers moved in, took the suspect into custody, and recovered cash from his pocket. Officers also found clothing and a gun matching the description nearby along his path of travel.
“This is exactly how technology helps us in real time,” Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan said. “Drones let us quickly deploy, cover a perimeter, and direct officers to the suspect right away. In this case, that quick response was huge, and it helped us get someone who committed a violent crime off the street.”
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Wichita Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
