SANTA FE, N.M. — A police drone helped Santa Fe officers track a fleeing driver without initiating a vehicle pursuit, leading them to a man the department says it has arrested at least 18 times since 2022.
Body camera and drone video released by the Santa Fe Police Department documents the Oct. 28 incident involving the repeat offender, identified as Omar Aguirre, 37.
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The encounter began around 12:04 p.m. when a K-9 officer spotted a white Toyota SUV at a residence in the 1100 block of Harrison Road. The vehicle had no license plate and broken windows, police said. The officer recognized it as the same SUV that had fled an attempted traffic stop a week earlier.
Body camera audio captures the officer repeatedly asking Aguirre, who was in the driver’s seat, to hand over the keys.
“Hand me the keys, bro,” the officer says.
Aguirre instead started the SUV and drove away with a female passenger, according to police.
A Drone as First Responder pilot in the department’s Real Time Operations Center already had a drone overhead. The pilot tracked the SUV toward Cerrillos Road and relayed its location to officers, allowing them to avoid a vehicle pursuit.
“The drone has eyes, so we’ll just follow his lead,” an officer says over the radio as police coordinate their response.
Aguirre and the passenger parked near Ruta Corta Street and Bellamah Drive, then walked toward a residence in the 2800 block of Camino De Bosque, police said.
When an officer tried to contact them, Aguirre fled on foot. The drone followed him and observed him entering a residence on the block.
Officers established a perimeter and ordered Aguirre to come outside. He exited shortly afterward and was taken into custody without incident, police said.
Aguirre was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center on charges of reckless driving and three counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
Officers found a stolen firearm during an inventory of the SUV, according to the department. Police are working to identify the female passenger.
The investigation remains active.
