Virginia Beach police say an automated license-plate camera provided a key lead that helped detectives identify and arrest a suspect in an August shooting on Northampton Boulevard.
The shooting happened Aug. 24 in the 5700 block of Northampton Boulevard, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department. Detectives with the department’s Third Precinct Crime Suppression Squad said they used Flock automated license plate reader, or ALPR, technology during the investigation.
Police said a Flock camera captured the license plate of a vehicle leaving the area immediately after the shooting. Investigators used that information as they worked to identify a suspect.
On Sept. 2, detectives executed a search warrant at a Virginia Beach home and found Devon Drayton, 38, of Norfolk. Police said Drayton was taken into custody without incident.
Drayton has been charged with attempted malicious wounding, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting at an occupied vehicle, shooting within city limits and reckless handling of a firearm.
During the search, detectives also recovered ammunition, magazines and firearm components, according to police.
Drayton was taken to the Virginia Beach City Jail, where police said he was being held without bond.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul W. Neudigate credited the department’s camera network with helping investigators move quickly.
“By utilizing the Flock camera network, our officers were able to locate and safely apprehend a convicted felon who posed an ongoing threat to our community,” said Chief Paul W. Neudigate. “Technology, to include ALPR, continues to be a force multiplier for the VBPD in ensuring community safety, many times enabling us to take dangerous individuals off the streets quickly before they can reoffend.”
The arrest also highlights the growing role of automated license-plate readers in local police work. In this case, Virginia Beach police say the technology gave detectives a specific vehicle lead shortly after a shooting along Northampton Boulevard, a heavily traveled corridor connecting Virginia Beach with neighboring Norfolk.
The case remains under investigation. Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Virginia Beach Police Department at 757-385-2703.
The charges are allegations. Drayton is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.