By Police1 Staff
ANDOVER, Mass. — Last month the Galveston (Texas) Police Department used a less-lethal chemical projectile weapon called the Byrna SD to apprehend a hit-and-run suspect, according to a press release from Byrna Technologies.
The Byrna SD is described as a powerful and non-lethal self-defense weapon, according to the company’s website. Powered by compressed air, the Byrna SD shoots .68 caliber round kinetic or chemical irritant projectiles that can disable a threat up to 60 feet away, the company says.
Bodycam video shows an officer deploying the Byrna SD launcher from about 40 feet away. The video shows an officer firing about five rounds of the chemical irritant into the suspect’s open car door before the suspect surrenders.
The incident began on May 12 when police responded to a call about a hit-and-run involving a cyclist. A few minutes later the suspect was involved in a second hit-and-run collision. Officers eventually caught up with the driver and, after the suspect failed to comply with orders, deployed the Byrna SD. The suspect was arrested and charged with felony accident involving injury and felony evading in a vehicle.
Josh Schirard, Byrna’s director of law enforcement operations, applauded the officers’ efforts.
“We are extremely pleased that Galveston PD was able to use the Byrna SD to great effect in apprehending a suspect, under dangerous conditions, without having to resort to deadly force,” Schirard said in a statement. “This ‘high-risk stop’ is exactly what the Byrna SD was designed for – being able to disarm and disorient a non-compliant subject from a significant standoff distance, without risking serious injury or death. No other less-lethal device could have been effective under the circumstances.”