Wanted Subject Arrested

On May 13th, 2023 at approximately 9:48 pm, Chico Police Officers were checking a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a business in the 2000 block of E. 20th Street. As the officer was speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, the officer recognized a subject who was also associated with the vehicle. This subject was walking toward the front of the business. The officer recognized Oliver Anderson, 39 yrs. old of Oroville, from previous law enforcement contacts. The officer knew Anderson had a history of weapons and was currently on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS).

Officers learned that Anderson had an active felony warrant for a PRCS violation. As officers attempted to contact Anderson, he immediately fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, Anderson fled through an open business and proceeded to conceal himself in a neighborhood in the 2000 block of Springfield Drive. Due to Anderson’s prior history of weapons possession and that he had concealed himself in a neighborhood, an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), also known as a drone, was quickly deployed by a Chico Police Officer. This officer is trained and certified as a law enforcement drone pilot.

As the UAS began searching the neighborhood, officers searching on foot heard a voice attempting to get their attention. The officers then noticed a subject on the roof of a residence and noticed he was attempting to surrender to officers. Officers were able to identify the subject as Anderson and were able to convince him to come down from the roof of the residence. He was taken into custody without further incident.

This incident highlights how technology has helped to de-escalate situations, improve officer and community safety, and decrease the amount of staff time spent on these types of incidents. Drone technology can be quickly deployed and provides real-time intelligence, which would otherwise be difficult to obtain through traditional means.

The Chico Police Department continues to be transparent with the community in the use of drones by ensuring the community has access to our flight logs on the Police Department’s website. These logs are routinely updated and can be viewed at the following link: https://app.airdata.com/u/chicopd.

Location: 2050 Springfield Drive, Chico, CA

Suspect: Oliver Anderson, 39 yrs old

Victim: N/A

Supervisor: Sgt. John Nickelson

Lieutenant: Lt. Jeff Durkin

The Chico Police Department is committed to ensuring our community is a safe place to live, work, and recreate within!