Splendora police brought a 90-mph pursuit to a hard stop on Saturday using a vehicle-mounted Grappler bumper, disabling a speeding car in a 65-mph zone and taking the driver into custody while other occupants, including children, were escorted to safety. Officers say they used a Taser after the driver resisted commands, then removed and detained him without further incident. Prosecutors are expected to review felony charges, including evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle.
According to a press release shared in a Facebook reel by the department's Criminal Interdiction Unit, first linked on the Splendora Police Department page, officers initially attempted a routine traffic stop before the driver allegedly hit the gas and sparked the pursuit. Once “traffic and roadway conditions were deemed safe,” officers deployed the department's recently implemented Grappler police bumper. The release says the device fully disabled the fleeing vehicle. Additional adult occupants were seen exiting with children, and the remaining occupants complied with officers' commands.
How the Grappler works
The Grappler is a vehicle-mounted intervention device that uses a tethered net or web to snag a rear wheel and bring a fleeing car to a controlled stop, rather than relying on spike strips or a PIT maneuver, according to reporting from Colorado Public Radio and The Drive. Supporters say the webbing can cut down on the risk of high-speed crashes and make it safer for officers to stop suspects, though they also note the tool has to be timed and deployed carefully to avoid unintended consequences. The device has seen use in multiple states as departments weigh alternatives to traditional pursuit tactics.
Officials and charges
Chief Wally Wieghat said the Grappler “gives officers a safer way to end dangerous pursuits and helps prevent a potentially tragic outcome,” according to the department. Officials say officers used a Taser after the driver failed to comply with commands to exit the vehicle and attempted to accelerate, but the Grappler had already rendered the vehicle inoperable. Police then removed the driver from the car before detaining him. The Splendora Police Department added that charges, including felony evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle, are being presented to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. Splendora Police Department
Why departments are adding Grapplers
Agencies around the country have increasingly added net-style intervention tools to their pursuit-management toolbox in an effort to reduce pursuit-related injuries, with state patrols and municipal departments reporting successful deployments in several high-profile cases, according to Police1. A Congressional Research Service brief lists the Grappler among emerging less-than-lethal vehicle-stopping systems and says it is “already installed on over 1,000 police vehicles” nationwide. Those trends help explain why Splendora's department invested in the bumper as a pursuit-management option.
Montgomery County prosecutors will review the case, and any formal charges will become part of the county's public record once filed. The Splendora Police Department has directed media inquiries to its public information channels for additional details.
