Oak Brook police officers deployed their department's new Grappler bumper net for the first time overnight, tethering a fleeing U-Haul van to a squad car and bringing it to a stop after a chase that stretched from a burglary call in Maywood onto Interstate 294. Two people were arrested once the van finally stopped, including a woman driving the vehicle who officers say had an active no-bond warrant out of Indiana.
The pursuit began when Oak Brook police responded to a burglary call overnight, according to CBS Chicago. Officers tracked the U-Haul van onto Interstate 294, where the driver continued leading police on a chase rather than pulling over. Villa Park police deployed spike strips twice during the pursuit, flattening three of the van's tires before Oak Brook officers moved in with their new tool.
With three tires already deflated, officers closed the road before deploying the Grappler, and the device snagged the van's rear right wheel at a low rate of speed. The net-based system is designed to attach a high-strength tether to a fleeing vehicle's rear wheel, rendering it unable to continue down the road, and it brought the U-Haul to a stop shortly after deployment, per the same account.
Chief Says Long Buildup, No Risk to Public
Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said the department had the Grappler devices for about a month before this first use. He said the deployment occurred under controlled conditions and posed no risk to the public, the outlet reports.
The woman driving the U-Haul was charged with felony aggravated fleeing and eluding, and a male passenger in the van was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Under Illinois law, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer is a Class 4 felony for a first offense, carrying a sentence of one to three years in prison, fines up to $25,000, and mandatory driver's license revocation, according to the Illinois General Assembly.
A Toolbox Built Around Avoiding High-Speed Chases
Strockis said Oak Brook invests heavily in technology specifically to mitigate the risks of police pursuits, and this incident shows the layered approach in action. Officers used spike strips, infrared technology before and after arriving on scene, and the Grappler net in sequence rather than relying on a single tactic to end the chase.
The department also uses high-velocity darts equipped with GPS devices, which are meant to let officers track a fleeing car instead of chasing it at high speed. That approach hasn't always gone smoothly — in December 2025, a GPS-equipped dart fired at a suspect vehicle on Interstate 290 reportedly bounced off without adhering, according to a Villa Park community Facebook post. Oak Brook also uses a drone to respond to calls, part of a Drones as First Responders program that made it the first Midwest agency to launch such an initiative, with autonomous drones capable of flying 40 to 50 mph and reaching scenes within about two minutes.
Grappler Deployments Require Tight Conditions
The Grappler device tethers a fleeing vehicle to a squad car and is intended as a safer alternative to high-risk PIT maneuvers, a description Oak Brook police used when they introduced the technology on social media back in February, ahead of completing department-wide training. Its use requires specific conditions, and in this case officers closed the road before deploying it — a precaution consistent with how the tool is meant to be used only at low speeds or under controlled circumstances.
The Grappler Police Bumper was invented in 2016 by Peoria, Arizona entrepreneur Leonard Stock, who built the heavy-duty net device in his garage after watching high-speed police chases end in fatal crashes, according to Police1. Installing the system on a police SUV costs roughly $5,000 per vehicle, while replacing the heavy-duty nylon net after each deployment runs between $350 and $400. More than 65 law enforcement agencies nationwide have adopted the device to cut down on the collision hazards tied to high-speed pursuits.
Part of a Broader Regional Pattern
Oak Brook's first Grappler deployment comes just nine days after the department assisted Villa Park officers on Interstate 290 by deploying spike strips to stop a fleeing Chicago felon driving over 107 mph, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward suspects who flee law enforcement, routinely seeking pre-trial detention for defendants facing Class 4 felony aggravated fleeing charges.
Nearby Aurora police recorded their own first successful Grappler deployment in April, immobilizing a stolen vehicle in a fast-food drive-thru after an automated license plate reader alert, as Hoodline previously reported. Across DuPage County and its neighboring suburbs, police departments increasingly lean on a mix of spike strips, GPS darts, drones, and now Grappler nets to end pursuits before they turn deadly, rather than relying on any single tactic.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
