A robot dog deployed by the Massachusetts State Police was shot during a standoff on Cape Cod earlier this month, highlighting the role of technology in enhancing safety during high-risk police operations. This incident is the first of its kind involving a Massachusetts State Police robot dog and also marks the first time a robot from Boston Dynamics’ Spot series was shot while on duty.
The robot, dubbed Roscoe, played a critical role in a SWAT team’s handling of a tense situation with a man barricaded inside a residence in the Hyannis area of Barnstable on March 6. The standoff, which led to evacuations of nearby schools, lasted several hours and concluded with the arrest of 30-year-old Justin Moreira. Upon responding to a distress call about a hostage scenario involving a knife, Moreira reportedly shot at a SWAT vehicle and fired near officers stationed around the premises.
To locate Moreira while minimizing risk to human life, state police deployed three robots, including Roscoe, into the building. Roscoe managed to clear the upper floors before encountering Moreira, armed with a rifle, in the basement. After Roscoe was knocked down and subsequently shot three times by Moreira, it lost communication with its operators.
Photos released by the police later showed Roscoe with bullet damage to its side and “neck.” Despite aiming at another robot outside and missing, Moreira was eventually captured by police after they introduced tear gas into the building.
The state police described the event as a “stark example of the benefits of mobile platforms capable of opening doors and ascending stairs in tactical missions involving armed suspects.” They stated, “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.”
After the standoff, Moreira was brought to court, where it was disclosed that he had fired more than 30 rounds during the incident. His attorney commented on the seriousness of the case outside the courthouse. Following the incident, Roscoe was taken to its manufacturer, Boston Dynamics, based in Waltham, for bullet removal and damage assessment. The company has expressed an interest in keeping the robot for further research, while the state police are set to receive a replacement.
A Boston Dynamics representative remarked, “Spot keeps people out of harm’s way and aids first responders in assessing dangerous situations. We are proud that Spot safely supported the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad during the recent Barnstable incident involving an armed and barricaded suspect, and we are relieved that the only casualty that day was our robot.”
Boston Dynamics also noted in a blog post that their robots, which are not allowed to be weaponized, “have proven extremely valuable in hostage situations, which are, of course, inherently volatile and present a real risk of imminent danger.” They highlighted the ability of their technology to provide a closer look at dangerous situations without putting humans at risk, concluding, “Officers were ultimately able to safely arrest the suspect.”
