Trending Topics

Video: Wash. deputies use ‘Grappler’ device to snag fleeing driver

"[Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies] successfully deployed the grappler, stopping the suspect vehicle less than 5 minutes from time of request,” the department stated

By Rolf Boone
The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of multiple crimes Monday night after fleeing from state troopers on southbound I-5, according to jail information and the Thurston County sheriff.

Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a social media post that deputies assisted the Washington State Patrol with a car-slowing technology called the “grappler.”

Around 7 p.m., State troopers attempted to stop a driver for driving with expired tabs, but that prompted the pursuit, Sanders said.

“As the car traveled down I-5, it began to catch on fire,” Sanders said in his post. “TCSO successfully deployed the grappler, stopping the suspect vehicle less than 5 minutes from time of request. The driver fled on foot and was tackled by troopers and taken into custody.”

The arrest was made near I-5 and Maytown.

The man was booked on suspicion of eluding police, driving under the influence and possession of drugs without a prescription, jail information reads.

This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:09 AM.
© 2025 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.). Visit www.theolympian.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Video shows the suspect vehicle jumping a curve and accelerating in the direction of an officer standing back from the roadside
NYPD
The NYPD reported four people shot or stabbed and 10 police officers attacked, with one punched in the face and another hit with a glass bottle
The city of Willows filed a lawsuit to get more time to negotiate a contract with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office after the agency said it would stop service after June 30
The future L.A. Metro police force received 950 applications within 24-hours of opening the portal; the agency is offering an entry-level salary of up to $132,499 per year