Robotic dog shot during Mass. barricade standoff credited with preventing bloodshed
BOSTON (WWLP) -- With assistance from a Massachusetts State Police robot dog, officers were able to arrest an armed man who had barricaded himself inside a home on Cape Cod.
Around noon on Wednesday, March 6, State Police were called by Barnstable police to a home on St. Francis Circle to assist a SWAT team with an armed barricade suspect. The man allegedly had fired a rifle towards officers then barricaded himself inside the home.
State Police troopers used two PacBot 510 robots and a four-legged SPOT robot, often called a robot dog, to help locate the suspect inside the building. The robot dog was able to secure the top two floors of the building. The robot dog named Roscoe was then placed into the home's basement.
While the trooper was able to control Roscoe remotely, the robot dog went to open a door when the suspect appeared in front of it, armed with a rifle. The suspect knocked over Roscoe then ran up the basement stairs, but the robot dog had the ability to get back on its feet and continue following him, police said.
State Police, who were able to watch the incident through the robot dog's camera, saw the suspect was surprised that Roscoe was able to chase after him. That's when the suspect shot Roscoe three times and rendered it inoperable, according to police.
The suspect also shot at one of the PacBot 510 robots that was located near a sliding door to the outside, but missed and hit the above ground pool in the yard. SWAT used the opportunity to throw tear gas into the home. The suspect later surrendered himself and was arrested.
Police credited the new technology with minimizing the risk of officers being shot upon entering the building.
“The incident provided a stark example of the benefits of mobile platforms capable of opening doors and ascending stairs in tactical missions involving armed suspects,” state police said in a statement. “In addition to providing critically important room clearance and situational awareness capabilities, the insertion of Roscoe into the suspect residence prevented the need, at that stage of response, from inserting human operators, and may have prevented a police officer from being involved in an exchange of gunfire.”
State Police are working with robotics company Boston Dynamics to remove the bullets and conduct a damage assessment as the continue research into the ways the automated "K9s" can help law enforcement. Boston Dynamics says they are also interested in working with troopers by researching Roscoe and potentially replacing him with a new SPOT platform they are working on.
“We are relieved that the only casualty that day was our robot,” the company said. “It’s a great example of how mobile robots like Spot can be used to save lives.”
The use of robots in this incident helped State Police and SWAT members open doors in the home and learn the layout of the building, authorities said, adding that the three bullets that struck Roscoe might otherwise have hit an officer.
Massachusetts State Police currently have two robot dogs that are operated by the Bomb Squad assigned to the Department of Fire Services.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.