A domestic violence suspect in California discovered he had few places left to hide after authorities used a police drone to locate him inside a massive haystack, bringing an hours-long manhunt to an end with his surrender captured on camera.
Adam Armbruster, 29, was taken into custody Sunday after deputies, K9 units, drones and members of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team tracked him to a barn, where investigators said he had burrowed into a towering pile of hay in an apparent attempt to avoid arrest.
The search began late Saturday after deputies were called to the area following reports that a woman was screaming for help.
Investigators later determined the woman had been assaulted in a domestic violence incident, but the suspect had already fled before law enforcement arrived.
Deputies continued searching through the night as they worked to determine where Armbruster had gone.
By Sunday, investigators believed he was likely still nearby, either somewhere on his own property or hiding in outbuildings on a neighboring parcel.
Members of the Special Enforcement Team joined the effort Sunday morning, first clearing the suspect’s residence before expanding the search to the neighboring property.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday, a drone surveying the area spotted Armbruster hidden inside a large haystack in a barn, leading to his eventual surrender and arrest.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the drone locking onto the hiding place before the suspect, apparently realizing the game was over, waved at the aircraft, climbed down from the hay and surrendered without incident.
The footage drew applause online.
“That drone pilot is an absolute surgeon with that machine. Phenomenal operator,” one commenter wrote.
Another quipped, “lol so how do I apply to be a drone pilot with a police department?”
Armbruster was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon.
He was booked into the Placer County Jail before later securing his release after posting bail.
The sheriff’s office blurred the suspect’s face in the released video in accordance with California’s AB 1475, which restricts law enforcement agencies from publicly releasing booking or arrest photographs except under limited circumstances established by state law.
