MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Jirell Thomas probably hoped no one was watching when he threw a gun in the bushes while trying to get away in South Beach, according to police.
The Miami Beach Police Department’s Eagle 1 drone had its focus on Thomas, 38, after he fled during a traffic stop on Saturday afternoon in Ocean Drive, and almost ran over pedestrians, police said.
“Our drone identified the location of this vehicle, relayed real-time information to the boots on the ground,” said Officer Christopher Bess, a spokesman for MBPD.
Thomas, a convicted felon from Minnesota, jumped out of a black Dodge Durango with dark-tinted windows as a passenger who was with him drove away, according to police officers.
“The subject had no idea the drone was overhead. He ditched a firearm, walked very casually before our detectives took him down,” Bess said.
Undercover detectives who were nearby arrested Thomas. Miami-Dade correctional deputies booked him shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Thomas faced three charges: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fleeing and eluding police, and resisting an officer without violence. He also had a warrant case for reckless driving. His bond was $10,650.
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