Grappler gadget reels in fleeing driver, ending Florida street chase in seconds

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A high-tech Grappler helped deputies cease a fleeing driver earlier than the chase may escalate.

On Monday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister posted to his social media a video of deputies transferring in rapidly after a driver refused to tug over throughout a latest visitors cease, prompting a short pursuit.

According to Sheriff Chronister, the motive force tried to speed up away, however deputies referred to as in a unit outfitted with the Grappler gadget—expertise designed to finish “high-risk situations” with out placing the general public at risk.

The Grappler, mounted to the entrance of a patrol car, deploys a strengthened strap that wraps across the rear axle of a fleeing automotive. Once secured, the system forces the car to decelerate and are available to a managed cease, lowering the danger of crashes or accidents.

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Dashcam video shared by the sheriff’s workplace reveals the Grappler extending from the patrol unit and rapidly locking onto the suspect’s car, bringing the pursuit to a protected halt inside seconds. No accidents have been reported.

March 9, 2026, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office used a Grappler gadget to cease a fleeing driver in Hillsborough County, Florida, after the suspect refused to tug over, permitting deputies to finish the pursuit safely and stop a harmful scenario on the street. (Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister){ }

Sheriff Chronister didn’t point out whether or not the motive force was taken into custody instantly after the car was stopped.