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Technology comes to the rescue as drone prevents armed standoff

A specialised drone developed by Impossible Aerospace recently helped defuse an armed standoff in Campbell, California.

On February 8th, a confrontation emerged at a local Denny’s Restaurant which lasted for 12 hours or so, with SWAT members struggling to bring things to a peaceful resolution.

According to San Jose Mercury News (via The Verge), the situation began in the early hours of the morning and saw a variety of Silicon Valley technology used.

One example included a bomb-sniffing robot that was dispatched to take pictures of the suspect and distract them with audio diversions.

Despite all of these fancy gadgets, things weren’t brought to an ultimatum until the Impossible Aerospace drone was dispatched and moved above the establishment.

From here, it flew around for almost an hour utilising thermal sensors and on-board cameras to monitor the building’s perimeter prior to SWAT officers moving in to make an arrest.

Tear Gas was used to force the suspect to leave the building and peacefully surrender to police, some of which was captured on the drone’s camera, which you can glimpse at below:

Related: Drone Laws in the UK Explained

“At this recent event involving a barricaded subject with a gun, Impossible Aerospace provided a piece of intelligence that our agency previously has never had access to,” explained Campbell police captain Gary Berg.

“The use of the US-1 drone helped us optimize the safety of our officers and the community while providing valuable information to the command post through the live video feed.”

Given how drones have begun causing quite a ruckus in the United Kingdom lately, with 2018’s Gatwick/Heathrow Airport disaster being the obvious example, it’s nice to see them being put to good use elsewhere.

What heroic acts would you like to see a drone perform? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter @trustedreviews.

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