A California domestic violence suspect learned there was nowhere to hide after a police drone hunted him down inside a massive haystack, ending an hours-long manhunt with a surrender caught on camera.
Adam Armbruster, 29, was arrested Sunday after deputies, K9 teams, drones and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team tracked him to a barn, where he had burrowed into a towering pile of hay in an apparent bid to evade capture.
Deputies launched the search late Saturday, after responding to reports of a woman screaming for help.
Investigators said they determined the woman had been assaulted in a domestic violence attack, but the suspect had fled before law enforcement arrived.
The search stretched through the night as deputies worked to pin down his whereabouts.
Investigators ultimately concluded Armbruster was likely hiding close to home, either on his own property or in outbuildings on a neighboring parcel.
SET officers joined the operation Sunday morning, clearing the suspect’s residence before turning their attention to the neighboring property.
Just before 2 p.m. Sunday, a drone flying over the area spotted Armbruster concealed inside a giant haystack in a barn.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the drone locking onto the hiding place before the suspect, apparently realizing the game was over, waved at the aircraft, climbed down from the hay and surrendered without incident.
The footage drew applause online.
“That drone pilot is an absolute surgeon with that machine. Phenomenal operator,” one commenter wrote.
Another quipped, “lol so how do I apply to be a drone pilot with a police department?”
Armbruster was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon.
He was booked into the Placer County Jail before later securing his release after posting bail.
The sheriff’s office blurred the suspect’s face in the released video in accordance with California’s AB 1475, which restricts law enforcement agencies from publicly releasing booking or arrest photographs except under limited circumstances established by state law.
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