WATCH: Colorado Springs police use drone technology to track down, arrest shoplifting suspect

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is providing an inside look at how new drone technology helped them track down and apprehend a shoplifting suspect who allegedly threatened a store employee.

According to the department, just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, its dispatch center received a call reporting a robbery at a Target location. The caller reported a man stealing items and allegedly threatening to use pepper spray and a firearm on a store employee.

CSPD says while patrol units responded, detectives in the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) remotely launched a drone to monitor the situation from above.

Within minutes, the drone operator radioed officers on the ground that they'd located a person matching the suspect's description walking near a business in the 5300 block of North Academy.

For the next nine minutes, the operator used the drone to track the suspect's movements until officers arrived at 4:34 p.m., when drone video shows them successfully taking him into custody. Police have not yet shared the suspect's identity or what charges he's facing.

CSPD launched its drone program earlier this year to serve as an extra "eye in the sky," often arriving to a scene before officers to provide real-time information ahead of a ground response. According to the department, the information these drones gather can help dispatchers better assess a situation and determine the appropriate response for crews on the ground.

READ MORE: Colorado Springs Police unveil new technology expected to improve response times

According to data released by the department, drones have already been deployed to more than 3,000 incidents this year, arriving ahead of officers in 64% of those cases.

You can find more information about the department's use of drones here.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.