Southbound lanes of I-25 near 84th Avenue and Grant Street were closed for about two hours Wednesday morning after the Colorado State Patrol used a “grapple” device to halt a suspect driving at a high speed in a stolen Ram pickup.
A CSP Trooper responded to the area after a Thornton Police Officer requested assistance with the stolen Ram.
The trooper attempted to stop the stolen vehicle by using a “grapple,” which was unsuccessful, according to a CSP news release.
Following the first grapple attempt, the Ram turned onto southbound Interstate 25 from 84th Avenue, where the Trooper was able to use the grapple successfully to stop the stolen vehicle.
A police grappler is a device attached to the front of a police vehicle that uses a net or strap to safely and effectively stop a fleeing vehicle. It deploys a net or strap that wraps around the rear tire of the suspect’s vehicle, bringing it to a controlled stop and preventing a high-speed chase from escalating into a dangerous situation, according to police department pages.
But after stopping the Ram, the Colorado State Patrol cruiser was yanked into the jersey barrier on the left side of the southbound Interstate 25 shoulder, disabling the patrol vehicle. The Trooper sustained no injuries, the news release states.
Following the stop, the suspect fled on foot and was apprehended by Thornton Police Officers south-east of the final stop location.
All lanes of travel for southbound Interstate 25 were closed following the incident for the initial investigation but were reopened by 5:20 a.m. the news release states.