That was one seriously ill-advised hiding place.
A California suspect’s attempt to escape on a freeway ended in a storm drain after police used a car-stopping Grappler device to halt his vehicle. He was taken into custody anyway.
The unusual pursuit unfolded in Corona in early October. Police dashcam video captured the arrest after the suspect abandoned his car and tried to evade officers underground.
The chase played out on the westbound 91 Freeway near the Green River Road exit. After the pursuit entered Corona, Riverside police requested assistance from their FLEX Team. Officers then successfully deployed the Grappler, bringing the fleeing vehicle to a stop.
But the driver had no intention of surrendering just yet.
He fled on foot and crawled into a storm drain, apparently hoping to avoid the officers chasing him. Police located him inside the drain and arrested him without further incident.
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According to the incident summary, the man was wanted on an active felony warrant and was also accused of reckless evading.
The storm-drain escape attempt followed the deployment of the Riverside Police Department’s Grappler. The department introduced the pursuit-ending device in September after successfully using it to stop a chase in late August.
In this case, the technology ended the freeway pursuit, but the suspect’s decision to run added one final and unusual chapter before officers caught him.
The pursuit involved the Riverside and Corona police departments. It began on the freeway and concluded with the suspect’s failed effort to hide beneath the roadway.
For the fleeing suspect, stopping the car was only the first problem. Crawling into a storm drain proved to be anything but an escape plan.
Authorities ultimately took him into custody without further incident.
