A Suffolk Police drone helped cops track down a woman accused of stealing from a Commack sporting goods store after she crashed her getaway car and ran through a neighborhood Tuesday night, police said.
Officers were called to Dick’s Sporting Goods on Jericho Turnpike at 6:04 p.m. for a shoplifting in progress, police said. When they arrived, three women and a man were seen leaving the store and bolting westbound.
One of the women — identified as Anamaria Guzman, 23, of Hempstead — jumped into a 2025 Hyundai Sonata and sped off, police said. She crashed on nearby Tulsa Street, authorities said, and ran from the wreck.
Supervisors activated the department’s Drones as First Responders program at 6:20 p.m., launching an aircraft from the Second Precinct while operators at the Crime Analysis Center in Yaphank took control, police said.
Using thermal imaging, the drone spotted Guzman sitting in a backyard on Tulsa Street in Huntington at 6:26 p.m. Officers moved in and arrested her about a minute later.
Guzman was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the crash. She was charged with three counts of petit larceny, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, reckless driving and unlawful fleeing.
Another woman, Mercedes Hough, 21, of Hempstead, ran from the store on foot but was caught in the parking lot, police said. She is charged with petit larceny and possession of burglar’s tools.
A man and a third woman who were with them were not caught, cops said.
Guzman and Hough were released from custody on desk appearance tickets. They are due in First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.
Top: Photo by Silviu Dinu on Unsplash
