TCSO: Deputies deploy grappler on stolen car, arrest felon in possession of gun

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — Deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office arrested a felon who had a gun using one of their new grappler devices Wednesday night.

According to a post on Facebook from the office, Wednesday night, deputies tried to stop a stolen car on Delphi Road Southwest when the driver, later identified as a felon, pulled over and then sped off at 100 mph.

The suspect repeatedly drove into the oncoming lane at high rates of speed, when a sergeant with the office deployed one of their new grappler devices to try and stop the suspect. A grappler is a police device that uses a heavy-duty net to stop a car by wrapping it around the rear tire. It’s typically deployed from the front bumper of a patrol car.

The suspect veered off the road through a chain link fence and hit a tree. He then got out of the crashed car and ran away from deputies and the sergeant. He was quickly found and caught by K9 officer Mac and deputies, police said.

The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Jail for attempting to elude, possession of a stolen car, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, driving on a suspended license and resisting arrest.

When deputies searched the car, they found a handgun and what they believed was a meth.

The suspect initially had an escape warrant for felony assault in addition to warrants for hit-and-run and reckless driving.

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