A Hialeah man wanted on four active warrants led police on a chase through the city before a Florida Highway Patrol trooper fired a net-like device at his back tire, bringing the car to a stop near East Eighth Avenue and Hialeah Drive. Raul Gil, 37, now faces charges including eluding police, grand theft and reckless driving after the September 15 pursuit ended with a trooper smashing his driver's-side window to pull him out.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, Hialeah officers located Gil's vehicle in the area of East Eighth Avenue and Hialeah Drive and attempted a traffic stop. Gil did not stop and fled from officers, the outlet reported, while a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who had been notified by Hialeah Police about Gil followed the car from a distance rather than joining a high-speed chase directly.
Gil had four active warrants out for his arrest at the time, three for grand theft and one for battery, according to the arrest report cited by the outlet. Rather than attempting a PIT maneuver to force the car off the road, the trooper deployed a Grappler device at Gil's car, and it stopped.
How the Net Device Ended the Chase
Dashcam video described by the station shows several other cruisers pulling near Gil's car once it had been stopped. When Gil refused to get out after a trooper ordered him to exit, a trooper was seen smashing his driver's-side window. Gil eventually got out of the car and was arrested; he was later given a $12,500 bond.
Hialeah County Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer, reviewing the case, said police had used a Grappler to catch Gil's tire and stop his car, calling the maneuver “pretty cool.”
The device that ended Gil's run is part of a wider shift away from traditional pursuit tactics. As WFLA has reported, the Grappler attaches to the underside of a fleeing vehicle's back tire and connects it to a patrol vehicle, ending a pursuit without resorting to a PIT maneuver. The same outlet noted that the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has implemented the technology on at least 50 patrol vehicles.
A Tool Spreading Across Florida and Beyond
Florida agencies have leaned on the device repeatedly in recent weeks. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deployed a Grappler that wrapped around the rear tire of Darius Ford's car and brought it to a stop in late September, according to CBS12, which reported Ford was arrested without further incident and faced 16 felony charges.
In Hollywood, police used a Grappler in December to stop two 17-year-old suspects accused of carjacking a Chevrolet Camaro, according to Police1, which reported the net hooked onto the stolen car's back-left wheel and the vehicle stopped once the cruiser braked. Both teenagers surrendered without further incident and faced robbery, carjacking and fleeing-police charges, and the Hollywood Police Department said it keeps six Grappler devices in its fleet.
The technology has reached beyond Florida as well. In Southern California, Corona police used a Grappler system on October 2 to disable a fleeing suspected DUI driver's vehicle, according to KTLA, which reported the department's FLEX Team grappled the vehicle in less than a minute after arriving on scene. The outlet noted Corona had introduced the device in September after a successful test in late August and had joined a handful of agencies countywide using the pursuit-ending tool.
What's Next for Gil
Gil's case moves forward with a $12,500 bond set and charges of eluding police, grand theft and reckless driving pending against him. The Florida Highway Patrol operates under a pursuit policy, Policy 17.05, that the agency says establishes guidelines for emergency response and pursuit driving meant to enhance public safety while facilitating the apprehension of criminal offenders.
