Overview
- Police said a thermal drone located fleeing suspects during a Christmas Eve pursuit of a stolen car in Howard County.
- Officers arrested a 16-year-old from Baltimore at the scene, then captured Anthony Alvarenga-Barrera, 18, and Jan Carlos Arita, 19, during a search with K-9 teams.
- The suspects were charged with breaking into 20 vehicles, and they are suspected in nearly 30 more that same night in Ellicott City and Columbia.
- According to police, a call before 5 a.m. led to a short chase, the stolen sedan crashed, and all three suspects were in custody within about 80 minutes.
- The department published drone and body-camera footage on Dec. 30 showing thermal imaging guiding officers across a busy highway, and it noted trained drone operators on every patrol shift and public tips that helped initiate the case.