Louisville Metro DFR drone finds armed suspect in bushes
Just after midnight on January 22, 2026, Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers responded to a shooting near 24th and Market Street and spotted a vehicle with bullet damage fleeing the scene. The driver abandoned the car and fled on foot. As K9 and SWAT teams searched the area, LMPD launched a Skydio X10 equipped with thermal imaging, locating the suspect hiding in bushes within moments. The drone operator relayed his exact location to officers and kept eyes on him while the area was secured, letting SWAT and K9, Ozzie, move in and take him into custody without further incident.
- On January 22nd of 2026, just after midnight,
- officers from LMPD's First Division were flagged down by a victim who'd just
- been
- shot in the area of 24th and Market Street.
- At the same time, officers saw a vehicle take off from the
- area with bullet damage.
- The driver fled from officers and abandoned his vehicle a short distance
- away.
- The K-9 unit tracked the subject from the car as patrol and SWAT
- officers searched the area. A drone from Louisville Metro's DFR
- program arrived in the area, and using its infrared camera,
- found the subject hiding in some bushes.
- The drone operator gave the officers the subject's location and kept an eye on him
- while officers blocked off the area.
- LMPD SWAT officers, along with K-9 Ozzy, approached the
- subject's location and ordered him to surrender.
- Realizing he had nowhere to go, the suspect surrendered and
- was taken into custody
- without further incident. The outstanding work from LMPD's First
- Division,
- along with our SWAT team, K-9 unit, and the DFR
- program, led to the safe and successful arrest of the subject.
- Their coordinated efforts, professionalism,
- and commitment to public safety
- were critical in bringing the incident to a safe resolution.
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