Drone Tracks Down Gunman Who Fired at Police and Hid in the Woods Near Eagle Point

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — A drone deployed by Eagle Point Police Department located an armed male suspect who abandoned his car on Interstate 5, fleeing on foot down an embankment and into the undergrowth.

A Drone Was Used to Avoid a Possible Ambush

Law enforcement officers lost sight of the suspect who fled the scene after shooting at them, and decided to use the drone to avoid a possible ambush.

The incident occurred at 5.19 a.m. on Saturday when officers from the Ashland Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon State Police responded to a report of a male shooting a firearm on Interstate 5.

Sr. Officer Marc Slagle of the Eagle Point Police Department (EPPD) responded to the request. When the drone pinpointed the whereabouts of the suspect, officers used an armored vehicle for added protection to approach the suspect, who surrendered without incident.

Sr. Officer Slagle is the pilot of the new EPPD drone program and has used the drone to assist in searches for missing individuals and to help locate crime scene evidence. The EPPD states that by working with other agencies, shared resources have helped keep the public safe in high-risk situations, such as the one that occurred on Interstate 5.