May 13, 2026 – Fresno Police Department officials report on recent arrest with the assistance of the Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Unit.

When retail thieves think they can outrun Fresno Police… our drone has other plans.

On May 6, 2026, shortly before 2:00 P.M., the Fresno Police Department received a call of a theft in progress at Dick’s Sporting Goods at Shaw Avenue and Valentine Avenue. The initial information mentioned that the suspects were still inside the store, and the male suspect was concealing items in the front of his shorts. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult wearing a white shirt and black shorts and he was accompanied by a female wearing a sleeveless top.

The Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Unit was deployed and responded to the area. As the drone was arriving in the area, a radio update indicated the suspects left the location southbound in a grey Honda Pilot. The drone located the vehicle just before it entered westbound traffic on Shaw Avenue. The vehicle continued west past Brawley Avenue, made a U-turn, and then proceeded south on Brawley Avenue. With real‑time updates from above, Northwest officers quickly closed in and initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle at Weber Avenue and Brawley Avenue.

The officers were also aware of an earlier radio broadcast regarding a theft at the Dick’s Sporting Goods location in Northeast Fresno earlier in the day. During their investigation, the officers were able to positively identify the occupants of the vehicle as the suspects in the theft that had just occurred at the Dick’s Sporting Goods located at Shaw Avenue and Valentine Avenue, as well as the prior theft at the Dick’s Sporting Goods in Northeast Fresno.

Inside the vehicle, officers located additional items believed to have also been stolen. Organized Retail Theft (ORT) detectives are currently working to identify additional victims who might be connected to these suspects. Both suspects, a 39-year-old male and a 43-year-old female, were arrested for grand theft, their vehicle was impounded, and our DFR once again proved that you can run… but you can’t hide from Fresno Police Departments’ aerial view.

Keeping Fresno safer from the ground to the sky.

View video here.

Source: Fresno Police Department