SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) recently utilized its drone, Raven 1, as a first responder to assist in apprehending two theft suspects at a Safeway store in the 900 block of Thayer Avenue.
On November 30, 2023, at around 6:15 p.m., officers from the 3rd District Station responded to an assault report at the Safeway. Raven 1 was dispatched to the scene and observed two suspects, later identified as 26-year-old Brandon Mark and 40-year-old Joseph Paul Lee, fleeing the store with stolen merchandise.
Raven 1 tracked the suspects to Mayor Lane and Thayer Avenue, providing real-time descriptions and locations to the officers. Mark and Lee were apprehended at the scene. Initially, they provided false names, but their true identities were confirmed through law enforcement databases.
The stolen items were recovered and returned to Safeway. Both suspects, residents of Washington, D.C., were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. They face charges of theft and obstructing and hindering. Lee was released on a $100 unsecured personal bond, while Mark was held without bond due to an existing arrest warrant from Washington, D.C.
Raven 1 has been notably active, responding to 159 calls in downtown Silver Spring during November and December 2023. It was the first on scene for 121 of these calls, with an average response time of one minute and twenty-one seconds, leading to the location of 27 subjects or suspects. The drone’s intervention allowed patrol officers to be redirected to other calls, underscoring the growing role of technology in modern policing.