Thurston County Sheriff's released dashcam of their deputies using a Grappler on a fleeing suspect
By: -----
The Thurston County (Olympia) Sheriff's Office released this video of one of their Deputies using a new device called a Grappler to disable a fleeing suspect.
The TCSO said they were pursuing the armed felony suspect Wednesday night, on Delphi Road SW, about 8 miles southwest of Olympia.
The fleeing driver swerved into the oncoming lane numerous times, and reached speeds of 100 MPH. According to dialogue in the video, the Deputy noticed the suspect's cars engine appeared to be giving out, as smoke began billowing from the vehicle.
When the Deputy got close enough, once he had a backup officer behind him, he closed in on the fleeing car and fired the Grappler device. It's a net-like object tethered to the patrol car. Once it wraps around the rear drive wheel, it yanks it to a stop, preventing the car from continuing.
In this chase, the car spun into a fence and the driver tried to flee on foot. In the video, he is warned he is "gonna get bit" by the County K-9. The driver was captured.
Officials say the Grappler is a safer alternative to the traditional pit maneuver because it doesn't require the Officer to make contact with the suspect in just the right spot and spin them off the road.
This driver had a firearm and meth in their vehicle, and is now facing an even long list of charges in the Thurston County Jail.