Corona Police Department officers became the first municipal law enforcement agency in California to deploy the Grappler, a bumper-mounted device that fires a netting system onto a fleeing vehicle's tire, during a pursuit on Aug. 28. Officers joined the chase after it entered Corona city limits and used the device to bring the pursuit to a safe and immediate end, stopping a vehicle driven by a suspect accused of assault with a deadly weapon who was believed to be armed with a gun.
The department uploaded video of the deployment to Facebook, and the footage was reported by KTLA. In a statement, Corona Police Department said it seeks innovative ways to safeguard the community while holding criminals accountable, framing the Grappler as part of that effort. With this deployment, Corona joins a growing list of Riverside County agencies now using the pursuit-stopping device.
The Grappler works differently than older pursuit tactics. Rather than requiring a patrol car to strike a fleeing vehicle's rear quarter panel to force a spinout, as with the traditional Pursuit Intervention Technique, the device launches a heavy-duty nylon net from a vehicle's bumper to bind the rear wheel axle and bring a car to a controlled halt, according to the Los Angeles Times. PIT maneuvers can involve increased risks of rollovers and broadside crashes, and departments have said the Grappler carries less risk than PIT maneuvers or spike strips, which can expose officers to danger while setting them in moving traffic.
Riverside County's Head Start With the Technology
Corona's rollout follows a broader pattern already underway just up the road. In March, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department became the first law enforcement agency in California to publicly debut and deploy the Grappler, after running a pilot program across its K-9 units in 2025, according to CBS News. Corporal Brian Conroy of the Sheriff's Department reportedly executed 10 Grappler deployments within his first two months of equipping the device, per that report.
The Sheriff's Department also used a Grappler in April in Jurupa Valley, deploying the net against a white Cadillac driven by a suspect who had told a 911 dispatcher he was armed before fleeing a traffic stop in Temecula, as Hoodline previously reported. That chase ended when the vehicle crashed into a brick wall near Jurupa Valley High School, touching off a SWAT standoff. Beyond active chases, officers can also deploy the Grappler on stationary or slow-moving suspect vehicles before activating emergency lights, a tactic Riverside County officials have said is used preemptively against known violent felons to block escape attempts before a pursuit even starts.
Why Departments Are Turning to Net-Firing Bumpers
The push toward mechanical alternatives like the Grappler comes as pursuit crashes remain a stubborn public-safety problem nationwide. A study published in JAMA Network Open in April found that police pursuit crashes caused 6,352 deaths across the United States between 2009 and 2023, averaging 423 fatalities a year and increasing roughly 2% annually, in an analysis covering 5,425 fatal pursuit-related crashes. Innocent bystanders are also among those killed in pursuit-related traffic crashes nationwide.
California law also shapes how agencies approach pursuits. Under Vehicle Code Section 17004.7, public law enforcement agencies get civil liability immunity for pursuit-related collisions only if they adopt written pursuit policies and mandate annual officer training with written certification, according to FindLaw.
From Arizona Garage to Nationwide Rollout
The Grappler traces back to an original vision around 2006; Arizona entrepreneur Leonard Stock developed the device through his company, Stock Enterprises LLC, after watching televised pursuit carnage. Stock developed the concept after waking up in the middle of the night inspired to stop violent chase collisions, then tested his first prototype on his family SUV on a dirt road, according to the 12News.
Adoption has since spread well beyond California. As of 2026, the Grappler is used by 165 law enforcement agencies across 34 states, per Stock Enterprises LLC. The Grappler has been widely adopted nationwide. A single bumper unit costs approximately $5,000 to purchase and install, according to The JOLT News.
For Corona, becoming the first city police department in California to use the Grappler places it at the front of a trend that departments across the country have adopted in recent years to stop or prevent high-speed pursuits with less risk than traditional tactics. Corona Police Department has said it will continue looking for tools that keep both officers and the community safer during pursuits.
