In the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (Washington State), deputies used a device called a Grappler to stop a car-theft suspect during a pursuit. The Grappler is a system mounted on the front of a patrol vehicle that deploys a strap to catch the rear wheel of a fleeing car and force it to stop. In that specific case, the suspect was captured after attempting to flee on foot and firing at the officers, who negotiated his surrender after a brief standoff.
The use of the Grappler in Washington has also been documented in at least one other recent incident: county deputies (outside Thurston) used it to stop a vehicle being pursued for driving under the influence, confirming its usefulness in high-risk pursuits.
