A Broward Sheriff's Office deputy spotted a blue 2007 Ford SUV idling in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on East Sample Road in Pompano Beach, across from the Broward Health North hospital campus, and ran its license plate. The computer alert came back fast: the SUV had been reported stolen, according to the BSO arrest report. Thirty-year-old Fredrick Boyd then walked out of the convenience store, got behind the wheel, and drove off — straight onto Interstate 95, with deputies right behind him.
A Chase That Ended Without a Crash
Rather than confront Boyd in the crowded convenience store lot, deputies tailed the SUV as it merged onto I-95 and followed it southbound, according to the BSO arrest report. As the pursuit neared Commercial Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale Police joined the operation and deployed a Grappler Police Bumper, a webbed tether fired from a patrol car's front bumper that wraps around a fleeing vehicle's rear tire and pulls it to a stop, as reported by TAPinto. The device brought the chase to a halt without a ramming maneuver or a high-speed collision.
The Ford had reportedly been stolen in Fort Lauderdale about 24 hours before the I-95 stop, per the same arrest report. The SUV's owner told BSO that the alleged thief was a neighborhood regular known to them only as Fred, and said the man got in through an open vehicle door and simply drove away. That account echoes a pattern Broward Sheriff's Office investigators have flagged before: a two-year surge in local vehicle thefts tied largely to unlocked cars with open doors or keys left inside, according to CBS News Miami.
Shifting Stories From the Driver's Seat
Boyd offered conflicting explanations once in custody. He initially claimed his family had bought him the Ford, then later told investigators two girls he knew had purchased it for him — though he could not recall either of their names, per the arrest report cited by the station's report.
Boyd's legal troubles extend beyond the theft itself. He had not held a valid driver's license since October 2021 and had two prior convictions for driving while his license was suspended, according to the same account. That history matters under Florida law: driving with a suspended license becomes a third-degree felony on a third or subsequent offense, carrying a mandatory minimum 10-day jail sentence, under Florida Statute § 322.34(2)(c).
Felony Charges and Jail Without Bond
Boyd now faces one count of grand theft auto and a charge of driving with a suspended license for a third or subsequent offense. Under Florida Statute § 812.014(2)(c)6, stealing any motor vehicle automatically qualifies as grand theft auto, a third-degree felony, regardless of the car's actual market value. Each third-degree felony in Florida carries up to five years in state prison, five years of probation, and a fine of up to $5,000, per Hussein & Webber, PL. Boyd is currently being held in the Broward County Main Jail without bond.
Fort Lauderdale's Growing Use of Tether Technology
The I-95 stop is the latest example of Fort Lauderdale Police leaning on Grappler tethers instead of riskier pursuit tactics like PIT maneuvers or ramming. The department began operating the systems in 2024 and deployed them 20 times in just the first four months of 2025, a pace that led it to host regional Grappler training for neighboring South Florida agencies, Hoodline previously reported. In August, Fort Lauderdale officers and BSO deputies worked together on a similar maneuver on West Sunrise Boulevard near I-95, netting a Jeep tied to a Pompano Beach felony case.
The device itself dates back to 2016, invented by Arizona's Leonard Stock of Stock Enterprises, LLC. It uses a bumper-mounted heavy-duty nylon net that releases and wraps around a fleeing car's rear wheel and axle, pulling the vehicle to a tethered stop, according to ThrottleXtreme. The technology has since spread to agencies in more than 35 states and has logged over 1,500 successful pursuit interventions nationwide.
The arrest also lands amid a statewide drop in vehicle theft. Florida led the nation in reducing motor vehicle thefts in 2025, posting a 49.3% single-year decline with 9,790 fewer stolen vehicles than the year before, according to FBI data analyzed by Florida Daily. Even so, cases like Boyd's suggest opportunistic thefts of unattended vehicles remain an ongoing challenge for Broward County law enforcement.
