Raoul Moat dead after shooting himself in police stand-off
RAOUL Moat is dead after shooting himself this morning to end a tense six-hour stand-off with police.
Northumbria Police confirmed that no shots were fired by their officers and Moat was taken to Newcastle General Hospital after the dramatic conclusion to the week-long manhunt.
Moat arrived at the hospital at around 2.05am, where the car park had been vacated and sealed off by police moments earlier.
He was seen being carried in on a stretcher, with a blanket covering his head.
Britain’s most wanted man was finally captured after a week on the run following a siege which began yesterday evening.
Northumbria Police said the 37-year-old had been shot and received treatment but no officers had been injured.
Immediately after the stand-off ended, Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett said: "Police discovered a man fitting the description of Raoul Thomas Moat at around 7pm near the riverbank in the vicinity of Rothbury.
"When he was discovered he was armed. Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him and spoke to him extensively for several hours.
"We can confirm a shot or shots have been fired and it’s believed the suspect has a gunshot wound. He is currently receiving treatment.
"No officers have been injured. At this stage the circumstances have yet to be established."
Officers were seen jumping on Raoul Moat and a gunshot was heard.
It is believed he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Another witness, who lives near the river bank where Moat was holed-up, said he heard him telling negotiators: "Nobody cares about me."
Eyewitness Susan Ballantyne, whose house overlooks the scene of the stand-off, said police had crowded around Raoul Moat and jumped on him.
Another witness said he heard a shot, while an ambulance and police cars were also seen heading towards the location.
Earlier police searching for Raoul Moat said a man who fits his description had been found in the riverbank area of Rothbury and they had been negotiating.
Moat, 37, was surrounded by at least 10 snipers in the riverside area of Rothbury, in Northumberland, amid eyewitness accounts that Britain's most wanted man was holding a gun to his neck.
A friend of Raoul Moat was taken to the scene by police negotiators in an attempt to persuade Moat to give himself up.
A ten-mile exclusion zone was imposed to keep local residents and media away from the immediate danger.
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