June 16, 2025

Sheriff Deputies Deploy “The Grappler” to Halt Fleeing Murder Suspect

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

June 16, 2025

BALDWIN COUNTY Ala. A murderer on the run. A Pursuit ensues on a busy Interstate and drivers are caught off guard.

Unfortunately, police pursuits are necessary and frequently are dangerous for the officers chasing the bad guy, the citizens driving on the roads, and also for the bad guy or gal themselves.
Every year during police pursuits thousands of people are either injured or killed.

Through the years, devices, gadgets, and gizmos have been designed to prevent some of these injuries and deaths by using technology to track the wanted vehicle from a distance or overhead in a police helicopter and some of them work pretty well while others… not so much.
One such device is called “Stop Sticks”, the world’s leading tire-deflation device which ends high-speed pursuits quickly and safely. Officers in all 50 states and around the world rely on STOP STICK to end pursuits however in recent years, there has been an increased number of officers injured and killed while deploying the “sticks”.

Now, there is a new device called the Grappler which is mounted on the front of a patrol vehicle. An officer then deploys the net and directs it onto one of the tires of a suspect’s vehicle during a pursuit. “When the net comes in contact with the tire it engages and causes the tires to stop moving and bring the moving vehicle to a halt.

This new interesting invention is helping law enforcement across the country to bring cars to a stop during chases, including in Baldwin County Alabama.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office used this tool to stop a fleeing murder suspect on Interstate 65 as it entered Escambia County Alabama.
A deputy was able to maneuver their patrol vehicle close enough to the fleeing suspect’s car and deployed the “Grappler”, thereby ending the pursuit and deputies were able to capture the fleeing homicide suspect.

A spokesperson for the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office told us that the agency has purchased two of these devices but they hope to purchase several more in the future.
The device has been deployed at least three times during pursuits according to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.