ALBERT LEA, Minn.- Lenco Armored Vehicles BearCat® G3 was on hand to help police in Albert Lea, Minnesota when a barricaded suspect, who had already shot three people, began firing at responding officers. The BearCat provided shelter for the officers, keeping them shielded from gunfire as the vehicle defeated the rounds of bullets that struck its body, windows, roof and hood.
The BearCat is a widely trusted response and rescue vehicle in North America, and is regularly used in response to active shooter and barricaded suspect situations just like this one. With the all steel armor construction and high ballistic protection of the BearCat, police officers were safely able to close-in on the suspect and begin negotiations.
“The BearCat is designed to provide cover for responding officers so they can do their job. And we’re proud to enable the men and women on that Response team to stay safe and continue peaceful negotiations throughout an extremely dangerous situation,” said Lenny Light, Lenco Armored Vehicles vice president.
The incident began in the middle of the night, when police were called to an apartment complex in Albert Lea, Minn. When the responding officer arrived, he was met with an onslaught of bullets, and was struck in the chest. Thankfully, he will recover. Two other people were also shot, seemingly at random, and will be okay as well. The BearCat on scene took several rounds of gunfire, defeating all the bullets just as it was designed to do. Police were eventually able to get the young man to surrender and arrested on several charges. After the incident, multiple bullet marks could be seen on the BearCat, though no critical damage was sustained to the vehicle.
“We are so happy to hear this was resolved with no further injuries,” expressed Light. “We’re never rooting for the BearCat to get called out, but when an incident requires armor protection, we’re proud to see it’s almost always a Lenco vehicle on the scene.”
In closing he shared that, “We’re all appreciative for the many Public Safety professionals who respond to these types of difficult and dangerous situations every day. During one of the most challenging years any of us will face, we continue to rely on our nation’s first responders more than ever. At Lenco, we’re honored to play a small role in that mission to serve and protect.”
To learn more about Lenco, visit https://www.lencoarmor.com/. To learn more about the Lenco vehicles appropriate for police or government use, visit https://www.lencoarmor.com/police-government/.
About Lenco Armored Vehicles
Since its founding in 1981, Lenco Armored Vehicles has been the most trusted manufacturer of tactical armored security vehicles by law enforcement, fire and rescue and government entities worldwide. The privately held, family-owned and -operated company revolutionized tactical response with the advent of the BEAR® and BearCat®, and since, has designed and fabricated more than 6,000 armored vehicles in service by more than 700 state and federal agencies in all 50 states.Lenco prides itself on protecting defenders around the world and serving as the standard in the industry. For more information about Lenco Armored Vehicles, visit LencoArmor.com.
