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'Black Forest Rambo' to be jailed for 3 years

February 19, 2021

The man had robbed police of their weapons before fleeing for days into the Black Forest. He evaded hundreds of officers by moving at night and wearing camouflage.

https://p.dw.com/p/3pbsf
A photo of the courtroom on the day of the verdict. Journalists standing in the foreground -- the defendant, lawyers and others seated in the background.
Image: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/picture alliance

A man who led police on a five-day manhunt through Germany's Black Forest in July 2020 was sentenced Friday to more than three years behind bars.

Last month, the man identified as Yves Rausch, admitted to a court in the southwestern city of Offenburg that he robbed service weapons from four police officers, but said that he never intended to harm anyone.

He was convicted Friday on charges of assault, illegal weapons possession, resisting arrest, and hostage-taking.

Prosecutor Herwig Schaefer had described Rausch as a "weapons freak." 

Why call him 'Black Forest Rambo?'

Rausch had been squatting in a garden house on the edge of the forest last summer when police were alerted to a suspicious person carrying a bow and arrow.

The hut on the outskirts of Oppenau used by Yves Rausch illegally where police first mobilized to try to arrest or question him.
Image: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/picture alliance

The police officers approached him and asked for identification. Rausch cooperated initially, but then pulled out a pistol, took the officers' service weapons, and fled into the forest.

The incident took place in the town of Oppenau, located in a remote forested area in southwestern Germany.

He soon garnered the media nickname "Black Forest Rambo" as he evaded police for nearly a week by wearing camouflage and hiding in remote areas of the sprawling forest.

During his time on the run in the forest, he moved mainly at night — seeking shelter in ditches and pits during the day. "His dietary intake was limited mainly to water," authorities said in a statement released in July.

German police on a trail near Oppenau
Police spent days searching the forest for Yves R.Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Spether

Over 2,000 police officers, supported by canines, infrared cameras, and helicopters were involved in the search. He was eventually arrested on the outskirts of Oppenau. 

The man was sitting in a bush when he was arrested, police said at a press conference in July. His weapons, including an ax and five pistols, lay in front of him as police attempted to coax him out. He struck one of the officers in the foot with the ax during arrest

He told the court during his confession last month that he had been driven by the fear of being arrested, describing himself as a "freedom-loving person."

wmr/msh (AFP, dpa, AP)