THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A new device is making it near-impossible to outrun Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputies.
Sheriff Derek Sanders shared video online of a grappler-vehicle in action:
On Wednesday night, the Olympia Police Department received word that an alleged drug dealer was in the area that they’d been looking for.
The sheriff says the man was known to carry a gun, so police asked his department for backup.
Olympia officers followed the man down Interstate 5 until deputies could arrive.
They tried to pull the man over, but he refused and a chase began.
The sheriff says the man exited onto Maytown Road and drove down Case Road where he deployed the grappler, ending the pursuit in about two and a half minutes.
The driver was taken into custody with the help of a K9.
Inside the car, deputies found an empty gun holster and some drug paraphernalia.
“One of our deputies asked the suspect what you’re supposed to do when the police activate their lights, to which he replied “hit the gas,”' Sheriff Sanders said in his post.
The man has multiple warrants out for his arrest including a felony DOC escape warrant and warrants for violating a domestic violence protection order.
He has been booked into Thurston County jail for his warrants, possession of narcotics with intent to deliver, and attempting to elude.
“The odds of being a successful drug dealer in Thurston County are becoming slimmer with every passing day, but those odds get even lower when your getaway car is a Prius,” Sheriff Sanders said.