Livonia police stop hit-and-run with net
A Hazel Park suspect was stopped on I-275 after a Livonia patrol car deployed a Grappler device to wrap around the vehicle's rear tire.
By Larissa Shah ·
A 30-to-40-foot nylon net stopped a hit-and-run suspect on the I-275 freeway in Livonia on Monday night. The device, known as the Grappler, wrapped around the rear tire of the suspect's vehicle and brought it to a controlled halt without causing injuries or additional property damage. Livonia police joined the pursuit just before 6 p.m. after Hazel Park officers reported that a driver had fled the scene of a crash.
The chase began on Monday night when Hazel Park police pursued the suspect westbound on I-96 and then northbound through Livonia. A Livonia patrol vehicle equipped with the Grappler joined the pursuit. Dashcam video released by the department shows the sergeant driving the cruiser pulling up behind the suspect and deploying the net. The net hooked onto the vehicle, disabling it and forcing it onto the shoulder of the freeway.
Leonard Stock, a former roofer from Peoria, Arizona, invented the Grappler. He developed the device as a method to end police pursuits safely. The system requires only 7 inches of ground clearance at the rear of the police vehicle. A closing speed of 5 miles per hour is sufficient to engage the net on a suspect's tire. The tether connecting the webbing is accordion-stitched and breaks away gradually as the vehicle slows to a stop.
The net typically starts at 15 feet or less when stowed and extends to 30 or 40 feet during deployment. According to Motortrend, the net must be replaced after each capture. The webbing usually tangles and ties itself to the rear axle, stopping the wheel. This method offers an alternative to the Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, where officers butt the front of their cruiser into the rear corner of a suspect's car to spin it out.
In a separate incident, one driver kept driving after being caught by the net and lost their rear axle. Livonia police described the Grappler as an example of innovative technology that helps keep communities safe. The department stated that the device allowed officers to end the pursuit successfully. The chase concluded with the suspect's vehicle on the shoulder of the freeway, secured by the broken tether.
The Livonia police department released the dashcam footage to show how the device operates. The video captures the moment the net extends from the front of the patrol car and wraps around the suspect's vehicle. The suspect, who was a resident of Hazel Park, was taken into custody after the stop. No other vehicles were involved in the crash that started the pursuit.
