THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — Criminals in Thurston County are being caught by a unique device called a grappler. It was used early Friday morning to capture a man accused of burglarizing a nonprofit plant nursery.
According to investigators, the man was after much more than just plants.
He reportedly drove a tractor inside a barn and tried to ram it through the structure’s doors to steal it.
Dashcam and bodycam footage released by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office shows deputies arriving at the nursery as the suspect is leaving in what they described as a likely stolen truck. They are then seen chasing the suspect.
TCSO reports Chehalis Tribal Police used spikes to stop the truck, but it continued driving.
Just under three minutes into the chase, deputies deployed a grappler to stop him.
A grappler is a net that comes out of the front of a squad car and wraps around a car’s tire, dragging it to a stop. It worked exactly as intended in Friday’s pursuit, but the suspect got out of his stopped car and ran, eventually hiding in the brush and firing a gun.
TCSO said the man was eventually found, negotiated with, and captured.
“It really just goes to show, being able to use modern technology and equip the right people with the right tools can bring these really volatile situations to an end quickly and safely,” Lt. Mike Brooks of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said.
Brooks told KIRO 7 that grapplers are the latest piece of tech in a long line of products the agency has tried.
Brooks said they have had repeated successes with the grappler, which he credits with making pursuits slightly less dangerous.
“Ultimately, the grappler can help bring it to a stop,” he said. “And once that vehicle is stopped, at least we don’t have a multi-thousand-pound vehicle driving down the road, speeding recklessly.”
The sheriff’s office said the suspect is a six-time convicted felon.
For the latest incident, he faces charges of burglary, auto theft, felon in possession of a weapon and more.
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