Fargo police arrest suspect with help of drones and Red River SWAT

FARGO — The Fargo Police Department says they used drones and the Red River SWAT team to arrest a suspect in the early morning hours of Friday, May 29.

According to police, they were conducting an investigation about an suspicious text message that a person received from someone they knew that referenced their address and allegedly made a threat with a firearm.

Police identified 19-year-old Fargo resident Henok Francis, who they suspect sent the text.

Police say while they were on the phone with a witness who saw Francis in the area, while talking with the witness, police say the heard a loud bang over the phone, which the witness said was a gunshot fired by Francis. The witness said he was not hit and was uninjured.

Fargo police set up a perimeter around the area in search of Francis. They then heard Francis may be in a residence in the 4500 block of Bluestem Ct.

The Red River Valley SWAT Team and the Red River Regional Drone Team were utilized in the search.

The SWAT team arrived at around 5:30 and confirmed Francis was not at the residence. However, drones spotted him in the 4000 block of 51st Way S.

By 7:30, Francis was arrested without incident and taken to the Cass County Jail for terrorizing and felony reckless endangerment with a firearm.