Everett police say a department-operated drone helped de-escalate a potentially dangerous call in North Everett by confirming a reported gun was actually a lighter.
According to the Everett Police Department, officers used the department’s Drone as First Responder program on Jan. 14, while responding to a report of a man pointing a gun, or a similar item, at people in North Everett.
A drone operator arrived in the area ahead of patrol officers and used the drone’s camera to assess the situation.
Police said the operator determined the object the man was pointing was a lighter, not a gun.
That information was relayed to responding officers before they made contact with the man, prompting what police described as a measured response and de-escalating a potential use-of-force encounter.
Officers then contacted the man and detained him for investigation, police said.
He was later connected with appropriate services.
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