Chico Police use drone to arrest wanted man who fled from suspicious vehicle

CHICO, Calif. — Chico Police Officers used drone technology to arrest a wanted man who fled from a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a business.

At 9:48 p.m. Saturday, Chico Police Officers were checking a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a business in the 2000 block of E. 20th Street.

As the officer spoke with the vehicle's occupants, Chico Police said the officer recognized 39-year-old Oliver Anderson of Oroville based on previous law enforcement contacts. Anderson, who was associated with the vehicle, was walking toward the front of the business.

According to police, Anderson, who had a history of weapons and was on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS), also had an active felony warrant for a PRCS violation.

When officers attempted to contact Anderson, police say he fled on foot through an open business and concealed himself in a neighborhood in the 2000 block of Springfield Drive.

Due to Anderson's prior history of weapons possession and that he had concealed himself in a neighborhood, police deployed an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), also known as a drone.

Officials say as the drone began searching the neighborhood, officers searching on foot heard a voice attempting to get their attention. The officers then noticed a person on the roof of a residence, who would later be identified as Anderson.

Police say Anderson attempted to surrender to officers and was convinced to come down from the roof. Anderson was then taken into custody without further incident.