A security robot patrolling a DeKalb County apartment complex captured footage that became a key piece of evidence in a double-murder investigation, helping detectives identify and arrest suspects in the deaths of a 13-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man. The video showed one suspect walking to his vehicle and leaving the property, according to police.
DeKalb County Police said 13-year-old Demarcus Shirley and 45-year-old Chauncey Newman were killed in a drive-by shooting, according to Atlanta News First. Detectives have said the robotic footage was not the sole basis for the arrests but rather one piece of evidence used alongside other investigative work. The outlet reported that police made two arrests: a suspect it identified as Keyshaun Webb and a 16-year-old.
A Close-Up Image From a Robot on Patrol
WSB Radio spells the arrestee's name differently, as Keyshun Webb, and reports that a 16-year-old was also arrested in August in connection with the shooting, with both accused of murder. Undaunted Robotic Security CEO Bryan Dinner told the station that the robot delivered more than a wide shot of the parking lot. “We were able to get a close-up image of the person's face from the robot,” Dinner said, per the station's report.
The robot involved belongs to Undaunted Robotic Security, an Atlanta-based company, according to FOX 5 Atlanta, which reported that DeKalb County investigators used close-up images from the robot dog to identify a homicide suspect and that the arrest happened within the year before publication. The firm has built a robot dog designed to patrol private properties as a roaming, camera-equipped sentry, the station reported.
Who Owns and Watches the Robots
Apartment communities across the region, including Highlands at East Atlanta, have deployed security robots supplied by Undaunted, according to WSB-TV. The station reported that these systems remain privately owned and operated by the participating apartment communities rather than by police. Only authorized personnel may access the systems' live audio and video during qualifying incidents, WSB-TV noted, adding that the police department does not continuously monitor the devices itself.
The scale of the rollout is notable: WSB Radio reported that Undaunted is providing 134 personal security units, or robot dogs, in apartment complexes across the metro Atlanta area. Newsweek has also reported that AI-powered robot dogs have been patrolling streets, apartments, parking lots and construction sites around Atlanta, with remote operators able to view 360-degree footage streamed by the units in real time.
Other Cases Where Robots Flagged Suspects
This is not the first time an Undaunted robot has been tied to an arrest in metro Atlanta. At a Columbia Residential apartment property, the company's robot guard, nicknamed Oppy, tracked alleged vehicle break-in suspects and provided live updates to responding Atlanta Police Department officers, according to Urbanize Atlanta. Dinner told the outlet that Oppy led officers to two suspects hiding in the complex's compactor area, and both were quickly arrested.
Newsweek has also reported, citing Atlanta Today, that Cobalt Robotics-built robot security dogs have been deployed in the city to assist police in areas known for high crime rates. WSB Radio reported separately that human operators control the robots remotely and can use them to communicate directly with people on a property, with an operator able to tell someone, “hey that's not allowed on this property.” Dinner has said he expects use of the robotic dogs to expand, the station reported.
