Three juveniles suspected of robbing and assaulting a person are in custody after a drone helped Colorado Springs police track them down early Thursday morning.

Colorado Springs police officers found the suspects shortly after responding to the scene around 4 a.m. in the 700 block of South Academy Boulevard. Police reported in an online blotter entry that the juveniles drove off in a stolen vehicle, and officers didn’t pursue.

Instead, officers set up a perimeter in the area and located the three through the help of a drone and a K-9 unit. Police said the juveniles were arrested on “several charges,” including an unrelated burglary to a car allegedly committed before the robbery.

The Police Department uses drones as part of its Real-Time Crime Center, a specialized unit launched in October 2024 that integrates an array of technologies, including body camera footage, live drone feeds, law enforcement data and streams from public and private cameras.

Police Department spokesperson Caitlin Ford said the center uses one drone for surveillance, but officers also have a few drones that they can use while on patrol.

“We typically have at least one drone operator available at any time,” Ford said.