Pleasant Prairie police say a new pursuit-stopping system on their patrol vehicles worked in its first two uses, on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, ending two pursuits and leading to two arrests.
The Grappler system is mounted on the front of a specially equipped patrol vehicle. When an officer gets close enough, it releases a strong net that wraps around a rear tire of the fleeing vehicle and keeps it from driving away.
The first use came early on Oct. 15, after officers were told about a vehicle that had fled from a neighboring agency. Police found it heading south on Green Bay Road near Highway 50 at a high speed, and the driver went through a red light before slowing. Officers then used the Grappler to stop it. The driver, a 36-year-old woman from Waterford, was taken into custody without incident and handed over to the agency that had first pursued her, with multiple allegations noted in Kenosha and Racine counties.
The second use came early on Oct. 16, near Green Bay Road and 85th Street, where an officer saw a dark SUV being driven recklessly with its headlights off. The driver refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit of several miles through the village before the Grappler brought the SUV to a controlled stop. Police say the SUV had been stolen from a neighboring jurisdiction shortly before the pursuit.
The driver in the second case was identified as Deonta Lorenzo Graham, 39, of Kenosha. He was booked into the Kenosha County Jail at about 5:05 a.m. on Oct. 16. Jail records listed referrals that included felony fleeing or eluding, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, resisting or obstructing an officer, and third-offense operating while intoxicated, along with other allegations.
The department praised the equipment and its officers' training after the second stop, saying its priority is the safety of officers, residents and everyone traveling through the community.
