Thornton, Colorado — On July 16, 2025, at approximately 3:47 a.m., an officer with the Thornton Police Department requested assistance from Colorado State Patrol Troopers with a stolen Ram pickup truck that was located. Troopers were able to catch up to the Ram and attempted a grapple, but it was not successful. After an initial failed attempt to deploy the grappler, the chase spilled onto southbound I-25. There, troopers successfully latched the grappler onto the fleeing truck, but the maneuver caused both the suspect’s vehicle and the patrol car to slam into a median barrier, disabling both. The trooper was unharmed, but the suspect took off on foot before being captured by Thornton officers a short distance away.
The specialized grappler tool, mounted to the front of patrol vehicles, is gaining traction among Colorado law enforcement agencies as a safer alternative to traditional pursuit tactics. According to CSP, the grapplers has been deployed about 120 times for a variety of crimes, and while Wednesday’s incident led to a crash, officials maintain the tool minimizes risks to both officers and the public. “It helps us avoid dangerous maneuvers like PIT techniques,” said CSP Sgt. Ivan Alvarado. The use of the grappler temporarily shut down all southbound lanes of I-25, which were fully reopened by 5:20 a.m. as the investigation continued.