A police bomb squad robot took center stage in a Texas standoff this week, apprehending an armed fugitive without putting officers’ lives at risk. Felix Delarosa, a 39-year-old parole violator, was captured after a nearly two-hour confrontation with law enforcement at a Days Inn hotel in Lubbock.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice had issued a warrant for Delarosa’s arrest after he tampered with his electronic monitoring device. On Wednesday, members of the Texas Anti-Gang unit tracked him to the hotel, where he barricaded himself inside a room. When officers attempted to approach, Delarosa fired multiple shots, leading to a tense standoff.
Negotiators from the Lubbock County Sheriff’s SWAT team tried to convince Delarosa to surrender, but he continued firing. A sniper reportedly hit Delarosa during the exchange. As the situation escalated, the bomb squad deployed a robot to approach the room safely.
In a bizarre turn of events, Delarosa tried to disable the robot by throwing a bed sheet over it, but the machine remained operational. The robot then responded by spraying tear gas into the room, forcing the suspect to crawl out, disoriented. As Delarosa lay on the ground, the robot moved on top of him and pinned him down. The robot’s wheels even pulled down the suspect’s pants, adding a humorous element to the otherwise tense situation.
SWAT officers quickly moved in and arrested Delarosa. He was treated at the hospital for injuries before being booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center. Delarosa, who had been on parole since 2022, now faces new charges, including aggravated assault against a public servant.
The robot’s role in safely apprehending Delarosa highlights the growing importance of technology in modern law enforcement operations.
