New Details On Robot That Killed Ambush Suspect
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DALLAS (CBSDFW) - A catalog from military contractor Northrop Grumman highlights the features of the bomb robot used by the Dallas Police Department to detonate an explosive ending the standoff and shootout with police following the murder of five officers. The document shows the vehicle was designed to knock down doors and kill if need be.
The drive train is built to be powerful enough to knock down doors and deliver an explosive device. The explosive would have been attached to a manipulator arm which extends outward.
According to the police department, it has used this bomb robot since 2008 for all manner of operations, usually taking out suspicious or hazardous packages or venturing in to what might be high danger areas to investigate.
But this is the first operation we know about targeting a suspect.
Some wonder if an ethical line was crossed by police using high-tech military equipment.
But Dallas Police Chief David Brown tells us it was the right move in such a dangerous situation.
"I would do it again to save our officers' lives," he said during a press conference. "Using a robot? I would use any tool necessary to save our officers' lives. And, I'm not ashamed to say it."
The robot cost the department about $150,000. Amazingly, police say the arm of the robot was damaged in the blast but it is still functional.
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