SWAT Team Used Robot to Disarm Suspect

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Los Angeles County SWAT team used a robot to snatch a rifle from an attempted murder suspect. Officials said the unprecedented use of the robot to disarm a violent suspect comes as law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on military-grade technology to reduce the risk of injury during confrontations with civilians.

“The robot was a game changer here,” said Capt. Jack Ewell, a tactical expert with the Sheriff’s Department. “We didn’t have to risk a deputy’s life to disarm a very violent man.”

The Andros robot, which cost about $300,000, is typically used by the department for the purpose of bomb disposal. Increasingly, however, the agency has been using the robot during encounters with armed suspects.

According to LA Times, deputies in Lancaster were pursuing a man suspected of trying to kill one person and robbing two others. The suspect fled into a dark, remote field. A sheriff’s helicopter eventually tracked him down to a dirt berm, where he holed up surrounded by shrubbery and wire fencing. A sheriff’s SWAT team arrived with armored vehicles and tried to coax him to surrender for more than six hours.

Eventually, officials deployed the robot to gain a closer view of his hideout. The camera showed him on his stomach, with his rifle at his feet, Ewell said.

To seize the firearm, they hatched a plan that relied on distractions. Deputies in an armored vehicle approached to the front of the suspect, yelling at him through a public address system to surrender. A helicopter whirred overhead. From behind, the olive-colored robot approached and extended its claw into the hideout.

“The robot was able to move up and grab the gun without him noticing,” Ewell said. “He never knew it happened.”

Deputies quickly reversed the robot and recovered the gun. Then, they sent the device back to the berm and had the robot grab the wire fencing, exposing the hiding spot.

“He only realized the gun was gone when the robot returned to pull down the wire,” Ewell said. The suspect surrendered immediately.