The “Black Forest Rambo,” who led police on a six-day manhunt through the woods of southwestern Germany, was sentenced to over three years in prison.
Yves Rausch, 32, was convicted in Offenburg regional court of illegal weapons possession, resisting arrest, grievous bodily harm, and hostage taking, for his actions in July 2020 and was sentenced for the crimes on Friday.
Rausch, who was dubbed the “Black Forest Rambo” by the media, grabbed international attention when he managed to disarm four police officers and then fled into the German forest. The incident began when police responded to reports of a suspicious man with a bow and arrow in the town of Oppenau who was squatting in a garden house.
When the police arrived, Rausch began cooperating before he pulled out a handgun and held law enforcement officers at gunpoint while he confiscated all of their weapons. He then vanished into the Black Forest, resulting in a nearly weeklong search that involved some 2,500 officers, helicopters, canine units, and thermal imaging, police said.
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He was eventually discovered hiding in a bush along with five handguns and an ax, which he used to chop one of the arresting officers in the foot.
During his January trial, Rausch’s lawyer read a statement from his client where he admitted to stealing the firearms from the officers but said he only did so because he feared being arrested and had no intention of harming them.
“I am a person who loves freedom,” Rausch said in the statement.
The “Black Forest Rambo” already had an extensive criminal record prior to his July arrest, including an eight-month suspended sentence at age 15 for changing the letters on a sign for a youth organization to read “Jews be gone.” He additionally received a 3 1/2 year juvenile sentence for seriously wounding an acquaintance with a crossbow.
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Police also allegedly discovered child pornography on his phone in 2019 while investigating him for possession of explosives. Authorities said he has previously used Nazi swastikas and once built a fake bomb.
