By Roxana Navarro
Mar 27, 2024, 9:28 PM EDT
The Massachusetts Police Department showed photographs of the robot dog “Spot” that was hit with bullet wounds, while they responded to a residence of a man who was barricaded. The goal of the four-legged robot was to locate the suspect inside the residence and for officers to capture him.
The authorities explained that technology can help officers in several situations, and in this particular case, even save human lives. Justin Moreira, 30, was barricaded and shooting constantly; The bullets only hit the robot.
Suspect barricaded and victim threatened with knife
Three Massachusetts State Police officers responded to a residence at 24 St. Francis Circle in Barnstable to assist a SWAT team with a situation involving an armed person who had set up a barricade and a victim who was being threatened. with a knife.
When they arrived they learned that the subject had shot at the officers with a rifle and had locked himself inside the residence. It was when they deployed two PacBot 510 robots and a four-legged Spot robot, commonly known as a robot dog, to help locate the subject inside the house.
The robots were controlled remotely
The deployment of remote-controlled robotic platforms allowed the team to safely gather evidence to locate the suspect inside the home. The robots performed some maneuvers to scan the house inside and out, and thus find the location of the suspect.
The officers controlled the “Spot” remotely until they located the man, who was in a bedroom with a rifle in his hand. When the suspect realized this, he attempted to shoot down the robots.
The man was on the stairs of the house when the suspect took his rifle and shot the robot three times, so communication was lost and they could no longer operate it, but he gave the exact location of where the subject was so that agents could arrest him.
The SWAT team introduced tear gas into the house; Shortly thereafter, Justin Moreira surrendered without further incident. He was taken into custody by Barnstable police.
Technology used in hostile situations
The authorities shared some images showing the robot dog with two gunshot wounds. “The Massachusetts State Police and the Department of Fire Services are committed to using advanced technology such as mobile robotic platforms to resolve hostile situations, while reducing the threat to human life.”
Justin Moreira appeared in court, where authorities said he fired more than 30 bullets during the confrontation. His lawyer described his client’s case as “very serious.”
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