BATON ROUGE - An officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department successfully utilized drone technology to apprehend a juvenile suspect early Thursday morning.

Around 3:30 a.m. on February 15, Officer DurAhnjae Vessell responded to a burglary reported at the Bellemont Victoria II apartment complex on La Margie Avenue. When the two suspects fled the scene, the officer used a drone to follow one suspect and arrest them. 

The juvenile taken into custody was charged with three counts of damage to property, five counts of vehicle burglary and one count of resisting an officer. The second suspect remains on the run. 

Sgt. Darren Ahmed with BRPD says the department is steadily growing their drone unit as an alternative to the use of helicopters. It's part of an approach they call "21st century policing."

Commander of the BRPD Drone Unit, Sgt. Dustin Conde, says drones are a safer way of tracking down criminals from an aerial perspective.

"The helicopter can stay in the air a long time, great cameras, spotlight. But with the drones, officers on the streets have them. They're not waiting for anyone. The moment they get on scene, they can have a drone in the air in seconds." 

With more officers set to obtain drone licenses, the department aims to make faster arrests and keep the city of Baton Rouge safe.