Robotic dog shot multiple times thanked by police for averting bloodshed

A robotic dog is being thanked by US police after it was shot and destroyed by a suspect.

Roscoe - the robot dog - was part of the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and deployed on March 6 in a house after police were fired at.

Controlled remotely by state troopers, it first checked the two main floors before finding someone in the basement.

The person, armed with a rifle, twice knocked over the robotic dog before shooting it three times and disabling its communication.

The person then shot at another robot dog sent inside before police deployed tear gas and arrested them.

“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.”

Boston Dynamics, the company that made the robotic dog, said in a statement that it was the first time one of them had been shot.

“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.”

Authorities have not identified the shooter or said what charges they face.

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