A pair of alleged shoplifters learned the hard way that Fresno police are now watching from the sky.
Two suspects accused of stealing from not one, but two Dick’s Sporting Goods stores were busted after a police drone tailed their getaway SUV across Fresno.
The drama unfolded last Wednesday at the Dick’s Sporting Goods near Shaw and Valentine avenues in Northwest Fresno, where employees allegedly spotted a man concealing merchandise inside his clothing while a woman stayed by his side.
The suspects then jumped into a gray Honda Pilot and took off, but officers had already launched a drone overhead.
The unmanned aircraft locked onto the SUV and tracked it from the air as officers raced in below.
The chase ended near Brawley and Weber avenues, where police stopped the vehicle and arrested a 39-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman.
Investigators later tied the pair to another theft earlier that same day at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Northeast Fresno.
Both now face grand theft charges.
The arrest is one of the first high-profile busts tied to Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto’s newly announced “Drone as First Responder” program, which expands the department’s drone operations beyond the conventional systems officers have used since 2019.
Police say the American-made drones can reach crime scenes dramatically faster than ground units ever could, feeding live aerial footage directly to responding officers.
Lt. Joshua Richards told ABC30 the drones could also play a role in medical emergencies, noting they may help “if we have someone who needs narcan.”