ATLANTA, Georgia – Authorities in a Georgia county used drones to track down a suspect who hid deep in a storm drain in late July.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said a suspect allegedly fled a July 26 hit-and-run car accident after attempting to steal packages from the front porches of homes in Tyrone, south of Atlanta.
The suspect eluded officers on foot and disappeared down a narrow drainage pipe.
Videos shared by police show an aerial view of officers surrounding a hole in the ground, where the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Lavern Vereen, was trying to hide underground.
After trying to get Vereen out for more than an hour, officers deployed a small drone into the drainage pipe and got visual confirmation of her location.
A police dog was thrown into the sewer system and bit Vereen from below, forcing him to scramble towards the officers, who pulled him out of the hole. Vereen was booked into the Fayette County Jail on multiple charges.
The sheriff’s office said in early August that it had received more than 100 reports of stolen packages throughout Fayette County, leading to multiple arrests.
