Running from the police is already a terrible idea. You know what would one-up that idea? Firing a gun while doing.
According to the Atmore Police Department, a routine traffic stop on July 8 quickly escalated into a dangerous pursuit that ended with a suspect stuck in a field, surrounded by officers, and being instructed to surrender by a police drone. Honestly, that’s not a sentence I expected to write today.
The pursuit didn’t just involve speeding away from officers, either. Police say the suspect fired a gun from inside the fleeing vehicle, prompting an even larger law enforcement response.
Fortunately, despite the gunfire, the incident ended without anyone being injured. Better yet, officers were able to take the suspect into custody without using force after technology did much of the talking for them.
The Pursuit Ended Where the Road Didn’t
According to a Facebook post by the Atmore Police Department, officers first tried to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on July 8. The driver briefly pulled into a gas station parking lot, where a female passenger exited the vehicle before the driver accelerated away from officers.
Police say that shortly after the pursuit began, the lead officer observed the driver allegedly firing a weapon from the vehicle. The chase continued through Atmore before reaching the end of Martin Luther King Drive near the intersection of Northgate Road.
Rather than stopping, the vehicle continued through the intersection and entered a nearby field. Unfortunately for the driver, the terrain wasn’t exactly getaway-friendly, and the vehicle got stuck.
With the suspect now somewhere in the area, officers turned to another piece of equipment that has become increasingly common in law enforcement: a drone.
A Police Drone Helped End the Chase
The Atmore Police Department deployed its FLIR-equipped drone to search for the suspect from above. The thermal imaging system quickly located the suspect, allowing officers to track his movements without putting themselves unnecessarily at risk.
Using the drone’s built-in public address system, officers instructed the suspect to surrender and provided directions for how to safely give himself up. The suspect complied with those commands and was taken into custody without further incident.
Police identified the suspect as Dyllan Thompson of Pensacola, Florida. After searching the abandoned vehicle, officers also found suspected crack cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia inside.
He was arrested on charges of attempted murder, attempting to elude law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine), possession of marijuana in the second degree, and possession of drug paraphernalia before being transported to the Escambia County Detention Center.
The Drone Stole the Show in the Comment Section
The comments were overwhelmingly supportive of the Atmore Police Department, with many people praising officers for using drone technology to safely bring the pursuit to an end. One commenter wrote, “How bout that drone technology being used by APD?!!! Nice💯💪🙏,” while another simply added, “Great job APD!! Dear Lord, please protect our LEO!!!!!!!!”
Others couldn’t help but poke fun at the suspect’s apparent hiding spot after he ran into an open field. One person joked, “Dude picked the easiest spot for a drone to find you at 🤣🤣,” while another wrote, “Why he run in a field and not the woods?! Lol.”
A few commenters were also curious about what happened to the female passenger who exited the vehicle before the chase, and others asked when the suspect’s mugshot would be released. Overall, though, the reaction centered on relief that no one was injured and praise for officers who managed to end what police described as a dangerous pursuit without further violence.
As with all criminal cases, Thompson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.