Police tout using drone to disarm incapacitated person in “nationwide first”

<p>In a supposed “nationwide first” use of drones to disarm a person, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in California promoted a video showing how a small quadcopter drone used a dangling magnet to remove a knife from the hand of a motionless suspect.</p>

<p>The promotional video <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/992196640274305" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shared to Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ4-tdPtbey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> on June 22, 2026, uses the Mission: Impossible film franchise theme to dramatize video footage of the incident that took place earlier in the month, which involved what the video describes as a “felony suspect armed with a knife and a firearm” who “was not responding to negotiators.” The sheriff’s office is just one among hundreds of US police departments and sheriff’s offices that have deployed camera-equipped drones to assist first responders.</p>

<p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/992196640274305/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook post</a>, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office described having surrounded the suspect’s residence with a SWAT team after the “known felon and parolee-at-large was seen earlier with a firearm.” A first drone deployed to the scene located the suspect hiding in a corner of the garage, but also spotted the motionless suspect holding a knife in one outstretched arm.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/police-tout-using-drone-to-disarm-incapacitated-person-in-nationwide-first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read full article</a></p>

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