Manhunt for Moat

[-Heart]

The 2010 Northumbria Police manhunt is an ongoing major police operation in North East England in which armed police officers of the Northumbria Police force are attempting to apprehend Raoul Moat, a 37-year-old man from Newcastle upon Tyne, who is believed to have shot three people, killing one. Moat is still at large. The shootings and police raids were spread across the Northumbria Police area, which includes the Tyne and Wear metropolitan county and the rural county of Northumberland.

The manhunt began in the early hours of 3 July 2010 following an incident in in Birtley, Tyne and Wear. Moat, having been released from Durham Prison two days earlier, reportedly shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, while also fatally shooting her partner Chris Brown, with a shotgun. Nearly 22 hours later, a shooting of a traffic police officer David Rathband, in East Denton in Newcastle, also with a shotgun, was linked to Moat. After a sighting on the night of 5 July in an armed robbery in Seaton Delaval on the Northumberland coast, on 6 July it was announced Moat was believed to be in the village of Rothbury in central Northumberland. When the manhunt moved to Rothbury, it emerged Police had thought Moat had taken two men hostage in Birtley; these same two men were then arrested in Rothbury on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.
As information about Moat emerged following the Birtley shootings, it became apparent he holds a grudge against the police. His ex-girlfriend had told him she had been in a relationship with a police officer but later stated this was not true and that she had told him that because she was frightened of him. Moat is believed to have posted threats to police and others on his Facebook profile shortly after being released, and made further detailed threats in two subsequent letters and several phone calls to police. Moat, a former bouncer and bodybuilder, was reported to be prone to bouts of anger due to steroid abuse, known as 'roid rage'.
The initial incidents and subsequent intelligence caused Northumbria Police to declare a major incident and deploy armed officers, dog units, and helicopters, as well as drafting in assistance from several other neighbouring police forces. The hunt sparked several possible sightings and false alarms across the region. The belief Moat was in Rothbury led to an exclusion zone to be set up around the village, with armed guards posted at local schools.
It emerged that Northumbria Police had been informed by Durham Prison on 2 July that Moat had intended to harm his girlfriend, and as a result the force voluntarily referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Moat

All over the news. It's all that Sky News are reporting at the moment. What a sick *******.

The letter especially.. very strange situation.

[Robbie]

cornered channel 501

[Accipiter]

He's been found with a gun to his head on a river bank now but the police still can't go close let him kill himself i say...

nothing bad to have layed on your mind if he does.

[Hitman]

He's been found with a gun to his head on a river bank now but the police still can't go close let him kill himself i say...

nothing bad to have layed on your mind if he does.

Wonder if he has any ammo left... could be an empty gun. They should just go behind him and shout "BOO" lol. Or go behind him and get some ninja to take him out!

[Hitman]

LOL tha hell Gazza is there LOL

[Mathew]

I've been following this on Sky News since Monday, it's been constantly covered all week. Just let him kill himself, or shoot him. He's killed one person and injured two so just get all this rubbish over with.

Of course, they'd much rather keep him alive by using our money in the NHS.. :rolleyes:

[Hitman]

I've been following this on Sky News since Monday, it's been constantly covered all week. Just let him kill himself, or shoot him. He's killed one person and injured two so just get all this rubbish over with.

Of course, they'd much rather keep him alive by using our money in the NHS.. :rolleyes:

And pay for his time in prison... or maybe he'll make a ****-and-bull story about being mental and they'll cart him off to a nice mental home where they have custard creams on the finest china!

[-:Undertaker:-]

I heard the police wanted the media away from a ten mile radius - how disgraceful in a so called democracy. I find that very wrong indeed, but as usual if you give something or somebody power then they will use it even if it need not be used at all.

[Robbie]

fgs just shoot him, shoot to kill or at least just SHOOT TO DISABLE. The police firearms laws in this country are a joke. SHOOT. TO. DISABLE.

[AlexOC]

Agreed. Either shoot his shoulder or kneecaps, takes a what, 2 second window? for 10 officers to jump on him.

But ofcourse in this country, we are only allowed to shoot AFTER somebody gets hurt, not before, to prevent it.