A dangerous standoff involving an armed fugitive in California ended safely in part thanks to a first-of-its-kind use of drone technology. Buster, a new robotic K9, and a different drone were used by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office to disarm the suspect.
Authorities identified the suspect as 30-year-old Austin Carter, a registered sex offender, parolee-at-large, and convicted rapist with what the sheriff’s office described as a violent criminal history and prior barricaded suspect incidents. Carter was believed to be armed, prompting the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Detail, commonly referred to as SWAT, to respond to the scene.
Negotiators spent considerable time attempting to establish communication with Carter and persuade him to surrender peacefully. Unfortunately, Carter refused to respond.
Unbeknownst to deputies at the time, the sheriff’s office said Carter allegedly consumed all of his drugs after realizing that SWAT personnel had arrived on scene. There is absolutely no way he actually thought that was a good idea.
Drone Reveals Unresponsive Suspect Holding Knife
The official police report by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office could not be embedded into this article, so we attached the video as reported by Inside Edition. The original report can be found here.
As the standoff continued, members of the Sheriff’s Craft Observation Utilizing Technology Team, or SCOUT Team, deployed a drone inside the residence in an effort to safely assess the situation. The drone eventually located Carter inside a corner of the garage.
Investigators said one of Carter’s hands was hidden beneath his body while the other was visibly holding a knife. Faced with the possibility that Carter could suddenly become violent, deputies determined that sending personnel into the confined space would create an unnecessary risk.
Instead, they turned to technology.
‘Buster’ Makes Successful Debut During High-Risk Operation
Authorities said deputies attached a powerful magnet beneath the drone and carefully maneuvered it close enough to safely remove the knife from Carter’s hand. They then deployed Buster to remove obstacles blocking access to the garage.
At some point during the operation, Carter regained consciousness and awoke from what deputies described as a drug-induced state. Deputies then utilized the department’s Rook armored rescue vehicle to provide ballistic protection while approaching the suspect.
Even after regaining consciousness, authorities said Carter refused repeated commands to surrender. As a result, Sheriff’s K9 Beau was deployed and successfully apprehended him.
Commenters Applaud Sheriff’s Office Use of Drones and Robotics
Various commenters shared their opinions on the entire situation in the replies of the original video, with one person writing, “Love this. This is a great instance of using every technology available to protect human officers and K9s. The robot dog is very cool. Disarming a knife via drone with magnet is also very cool. This expensive equipment is something I’d much rather our tax dollars go to, than hemorrhaging money to ineffective programs and blatant waste of funds initiatives.”
Others simply agreed with the idea of drones as a whole, with another person writing, “Please continue to develop methods to apprehend a suspect using drones! Saving the K9 and officers from harm, injury and death using a drone is money well spent.”
After being medically cleared, Carter was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where officials say he remains ineligible for bail. No deputies were injured during the incident. All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
What do you think about law enforcement using drones and robotic K9s during dangerous standoffs?