DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado law enforcement continues to tout the success of the Grappler Police Bumper in getting what it calls dangerous drivers off the road.
The latest example occurred early Saturday morning on E-470 in Aurora and involves a 20-year-old alleged drunk driver who the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said led deputies and Aurora police on a pursuit that ended with a successful Grappler deployment.
The suspect, Braydon Roa, was arrested on suspicion of felony eluding, DUI and unlawful possession of a false driver’s license, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said Roa was initially found by the Colorado State Patrol unresponsive inside his vehicle parked on the roadway.
◼️ Watch the video in the player below:
When medical personnel arrived, the man suddenly drove off, leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a pursuit on E-470, according to the sheriff’s office.
Despite attempts to stop Roa’s vehicle with stop sticks, the suspect continued until deputies deployed a Grappler device near South Quebec Street, bringing the pursuit to an end, the sheriff’s said.
Authorities said Roa, who had struck a concrete barrier multiple times, was taken into custody by Aurora police without incident.
Saturday’s arrest comes two weeks after another successful Grappler deployment in Douglas County.
The sheriff’s office released video last month showing a CSP trooper deploying the device to stop a vehicle during a pursuit on Interstate 25 near Larkspur.
The driver in the Sept. 19 incident was taken into custody without injury, the sheriff’s office said.
A Grappler Police Bumper consists of cables that are extended out from the front of a police vehicle and attach to the suspect’s car.
Leonard Stock, a roofing contractor at the time, developed the device after watching pursuit shows, he told Denver7 last year.
The Colorado State Patrol told Denver7 that it has rolled out 26 of the devices statewide, with 72 successful "grapples" since August 2021, and no injuries have occurred so far.
Additionally, more than 50 agencies across the country utilize the Grappler, according to Stock, with over 600 successful grapples.
