BOSTON — During a seven-hour standoff with an armed man barricaded inside a Hyannis home earlier this month, state police sent in Spot, a robotic K9, to find the suspect inside.
Police officers had responded to the home on St. Francis Circle shortly after 7:40 a.m. for reports of an adult man, later identified as Justin Moreira, 30, holding his mother at knifepoint. He was later arrested on several counts of attempted murder, as well as additional firearms charges, according to police.
During the lengthy standoff, Moreira periodically shot at police, and at Spot.
The robotic K9 was shot and partially disabled, authorities said. It was the first time a Spot robot was shot during a police deployment, according to Boston Dynamics, the Waltham-based manufacturer of the robotic K9.
During public safety responses that can quickly escalate into a crisis, as in Hyannis, robotic K9s like Spot are often sent into more dangerous territory to assess the situation and to help keep first responders and the public safe, company officials said.
The robot may be used in situations such as hazardous gas detection, unexploded ordnance inspection, suspicious package investigation, search and rescue, subterranean or confined space exploration, and structural assessments following fires, disaster events, and other hazards, officials said.
“We are supportive of all our public safety customers and we’re proud that Spot helped keep officers, bystanders and the suspect safe in Hyannis,” Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and government relations at Boston Dynamics, said in a statement.
The company provided the following examples of how police and fire departments are using Spot today:
• The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad regularly uses Spot to investigate suspicious packages and help secure areas where large crowds are expected, like ahead of Boston’s Independence Day celebration and at the Boston Marathon.
• Last month, the Massachusetts State Police also deployed Spot to respond to a shooting in Danvers to help apprehend a barricaded suspect.
• In Houston, Spot assisted the SWAT team with situational awareness in the peaceful apprehension of a capital murder suspect who had barricaded himself inside an apartment. In another incident, the Houston Police Department deployed Spot in a SWAT standoff, which gained them visual access to the scene to ultimately detain the suspect.
• Spot was deployed in Houston in February to help the SWAT team respond to a shooting at the Lakewood Church, a large church known to be owned by the evangelical pastor Joel Osteen. The robot helped to safely inspect the shooter’s car and clear the enormous facility.
• In Florida, the St. Petersburg SWAT team uses Spot for emergency responses to life-threatening situations in the St. Pete and greater Tampa area. In one recent example, Spot helped rescue a 3-year-old boy being held hostage by a barricaded suspect inside a vehicle. The SWAT team used the robot to look inside the vehicle and assess the welfare of the child, plus determine whether the suspect was holding a weapon.
The company also stressed that “any attempted weaponization of Boston Dynamics’ robots is strictly prohibited.”
Officials said Boston Dynamics also supports “An Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies,” a Massachusetts bill that would ensure that advanced robotics are used ethically and safely.
If passed, it would be the first piece of legislation of its kind enacted in the United States.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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