A police department in Georgia were able to spot a thief climbing into the back of a tractor trailer to hide thanks to the use of an overhead drone. 

The incident happened in Forest Park, Georgia on June 17th when police received reports of a man attempting to use stolen credit cards at an Army surplus store. 

According to Fox5 Atlanta, police discovered that the man in the report was already under investigation for previous fraud, so they attempted to place the man under arrest. The man then fled on foot and was able to outrun police, but he was not able to outrun their overhead drone. 

Joshua Wilson, the department’s Remote Pilot in Command says that he used the equipment to track the suspect without the man realizing what was happening. The overhead drone was able to capture the man climbing into the back of a parked tractor trailer and closing the door behind him. Officers say that the drone not only helped them catch a criminal, but potentially saved a criminal from overheating in the trailer on a hot day.

“I think this is the future of law enforcement, honestly,” Wilson said. “He had no idea I was there,” Wilson said. “He didn’t know he was being watched from above. So he thinks he’s beat these officers in a foot chase and able to kind of go around the back and hide… There’s no ventilation… and he’s in a metal box on a very hot day,” Wilson said. “It could have been really bad for him.”

When officers reached the man’s tractor trailer hiding spot, he was already becoming overheated. 

“He almost fell off the back as they were trying to get him down,” Wilson added. “So it could have been a lot worse.”

No further information on the suspect or possible charges has been released.