Drone Uses Magnet to Disarm Standoff Suspect

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In an operation described as a nationwide law enforcement first, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office successfully disarmed a barricaded suspect last week by attaching a high-powered magnet to a tactical drone. The high-stakes standoff began when deputies tracked 30-year-old Austin Carter, a wanted parolee-at-large with a history of violent offenses, to a home on Goya Parkway. Carter, who was also wanted for failing to register as a sex offender, fled inside the residence and cut off all communications with crisis negotiators, prompting a tactical deployment by the agency's special weapons and tactics team.

Fearing that the suspect was heavily armed and potentially lying in wait, drone pilots from the Sheriff’s Craft Observation Utilizing Technology team deployed an interior drone to scan the structure. Lead pilot Deputy Tom Lee located Carter tightly barricaded inside a dark corner of the garage, ticking off a list of survival uncertainties as the suspect appeared completely unresponsive but still actively gripped a large knife in his hand. Faced with the extreme danger of sending tactical officers into a confined, enclosed space with an armed individual, the team brainstormed a creative solution and quickly taped a vehicle recovery magnet to the bottom of a tactical drone.

Deputy Lee carefully piloted the modified drone back into the garage, maneuvering the craft within inches of the suspect before the magnet successfully snapped onto the knife and lifted it completely out of Carter’s hand. By flying the weapon safely out of the structure, the drone team established that the suspect was suffering from an altered level of consciousness rather than setting an ambush. With the immediate lethal threat removed, deputies safely deployed a robotic dog named Buster to clear heavy debris before sending in a police K9 to safely apprehend the suspect without sustaining any injuries to law enforcement personnel. Carter was treated for a minor dog bite before being booked into jail on multiple felony charges.

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