SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. — A dangerous fugitive on the run was caught here in Middle Tennessee thanks to a drone flying in Sumner County.
They are making an incredible difference for first responders here and the video they capture is jaw-dropping. Suspects on the run may think they'll get away but have no idea they are followed from high above.
Case in point: Police in Hendersonville were after a dangerous fugitive out of Memphis.
It was midnight and the guy ditched his car taking off on foot in a quiet neighborhood.
On the ground, officers had no idea where he went.
"A squad car is here and then here he is and he's going to jump the fence," said Mickey Summers with Sumner County EMA.
The suspect likely figured he'd slip away under cover of darkness.
But what he didn't know is that a silent drone was following him from above, directing police to where he's hiding
"He's running and that officer is told he's just gone to the next house. He's right behind there. We're going to converge here with more officers, he sees them. They got him cornered and he has no clue how or why," said Summers.
Drone technology keeps quiet with night vision and thermal imaging cameras. That's helpful for example in finding a man hiding in a cornfield who threatened to harm himself.
"If you can see he is just standing there," Summers said. "Within three minutes we had him located in a cornfield with a drone."
Officers then talked him out to safely
And Summers had to share this incredible drone rescue this week of a missing girl found in Louisiana.
A company Drone Management Service partnered with searchers to find the child safe.
That's really what it's all about.
Drones from high above seeing things no one else can and save lives.
Sumner County EMA currently has eight drones that can operate with 30 minutes of sustained flight night or day.
And, they are now standard for emergency responders in most counties.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
