The Raoul Moat manhunt was the largest in modern British history, involving 160 armed officers across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland over seven days.
Key Facts
- Duration of manhunt
- 3 to 10 July 2010 (nearly 7 days)
- Armed officers involved
- 160 officers
- Victims shot
- 3 (1 killed, 2 wounded)
- Standoff duration
- Approximately 6 hours
- Moat's age at death
- 37 years
- Rathband lost sight
- Permanently blinded; died by suicide 29 Feb 2012
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Two days after his release from Durham Prison, Raoul Moat shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner Chris Brown in Birtley on 3 July 2010. He subsequently shot traffic officer David Rathband, believing police had been told by Stobbart that Brown was an officer. Moat had posted threats on Facebook and sent letters warning he would kill any officer who tried to stop him.
Northumbria Police launched the largest manhunt in modern British history, deploying 160 armed officers, sniper teams, helicopters, dogs, armoured vehicles, and RAF reconnaissance aircraft across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. After six days on the run, Moat was located near Rothbury and contained in a six-hour armed standoff. An experimental wireless electric-shock weapon fired at Moat proved ineffective, and he subsequently shot himself in the head, dying at Newcastle General Hospital.
A jury inquest ruled Moat's death a suicide and found Northumbria Police at no fault. The Independent Police Complaints Commission investigated whether police had been forewarned by Durham Prison of Moat's intentions. David Rathband, permanently blinded by the shooting, took his own life on 29 February 2012. Several individuals were arrested for allegedly assisting Moat during the manhunt.