A garage break-in, a construction site break-in and a stolen vehicle. These are just a few of the many calls for service police responded to this past weekend. With the assistance of the Aerial Support Unit, officers were able to quickly and safely apprehend suspects and hold them accountable. Through a powerful camera and thermal imaging, ASU gets eyes on suspects and situations the moment the calls come in.
Within a two-hour period overnight Saturday, August 19, 2023, ASU assisted in apprehending five suspects responsible for the break-ins and stolen vehicle mentioned above.
- The first call came in around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The caller stated her SUV had been stolen from the 1400 Block of Rae Street. ASU helped Patrol officers on the ground locate the vehicle driving nearby and were able to follow it east of the city where it came to a stop. The three occupants exited the vehicle, ran and hid in a bush. ASU officers directed members of Patrol and Canine Units to the suspects. They were arrested without further incident.
- At approximately 12:10 a.m., officers were called to a report of a break-in in progress in the 1200 Block of McTavish Street. Suspects were spotted holding crowbars as they fled the scene on bikes. Within 30 minutes, ASU was able to track one of the suspects and Patrol officers arrested him in the area of 7th Avenue and McIntosh Street. The suspect was also wanted in relation to a break and enter and theft from earlier in August.
- Shortly before 1:00 a.m., ASU assisted on a second break and enter call. This time, the suspect was seen inside a shipping container belonging to a construction company working in the 1900 Block of Retallack Street. ASU was able to track the suspect, alerting Patrol officers on the ground that he was hiding in behind the shipping container before running east-bound away from the site. Officers gave chase on foot and the suspect was taken into custody a short time later.
As a result of these investigations, five adult males are facing charges ranging from Break and Enter, to Theft Under $5,000 and various breaches.
If you would like to see what it is like on a nightshift with the Aerial Support Unit, this short video outlines a two-hour span up in the air last week.
