SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement arrested a suspect after a reported armed robbery at a Circle K in southwest Wichita last week. Officers used a drone to quickly locate the suspect and direct officers to his location.
Just before 5:30 a.m. Jan. 2, police responded to a robbery call at the Circle K at 1254 S. Tyler in Wichita, according to a media release.
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, identified from Sedgwick County booking records as 46-year-old Charles G. Scott, 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 Scott hopping fences in the neighborhood west of the gas station. Officers moved in, took the Scott 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."
Scott is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on requested of aggravated robbery, theft, drug possession and a numerous other allegations, according to online jail records.