Florida police arrest felony suspect on I-75 using Grappler tire device

Hillsborough County deputies used a Grappler tether device to stop a fleeing suspect on Interstate 75 in Tampa. Darius Ford, 28, now faces 16 felony charges.

Grappler device brings fleeing suspect to a stop on Tampa interstate

Florida deputies arrested a wanted felony suspect on Interstate 75 in northeast Tampa on Monday afternoon after deploying a Grappler device to disable his vehicle, Toronto Sun Crime reports.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released video of the incident on Tuesday. Footage from a police helicopter shows two cruisers in close pursuit of a black vehicle. One deputy activates the Grappler — a tether that fires from the cruiser's front bumper — snagging the rear tire of the fleeing car.

Within seconds, the vehicle slows and pulls onto the shoulder of the highway.

Bodycam footage then shows an officer outside his cruiser, weapon drawn and aimed at the stopped vehicle. He orders the driver to open the door and keep his hands in sight. The man complies and is handcuffed on the roadside without further incident.

The sheriff's office identified the suspect as Darius Ford, 28, who faces 16 felony charges. Those include possession of a controlled substance and 10 counts of sexual offender providing false information after registration.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office installed Grappler devices on 50 patrol vehicles earlier this year. When the technology was introduced in March, Sheriff Chad Chronister described it as a tool that is reshaping how law enforcement handles high-risk traffic situations.

"This system gives our deputies the ability to quickly and precisely disable a vehicle in a controlled manner," Chronister said.

Source: Toronto Sun Crime