A South Coast police department used a drone for the first time to help safely catch a man wanted for brandishing a weapon. Oxnard Police were called to the 1900 block of North Ventura Road just before midnight Tuesday by reports of a man with a gun.
Arriving officers say the suspect ran into a nearby neighborhood. The department’s new Unmanned Aerial System Unit responded. A drone equipped with a thermal imaging unit was deployed, which detected the man hiding on the backyard of a home. Officers used a loudspeaker on the drone calling for the man to come out of hiding.
Angel Perez surrendered without incident. The 28 year old man was arrested for brandishing a weapon, and being under the influence of drugs. It was determined the weapon was a replica of a handgun.
Oxnard Police were recently authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to use a drone, and this was its first deployment.