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JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. () — The day after a pursuit involving the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and an armed grant theft suspect, there are questions about what went wrong at the end of the pursuit that caused a violent crash.
The pursuit ended on Bellegrave Avenue, west of Etiwanda Avenue, in Jurupa Valley when a deputy attempted to deploy a grappler pursuit intervention device. But when the device failed, the suspect lost control and crashed head on into the backyard wall of a homeowner in the neighborhood.
Deputies attempted to negotiate the surrender of the suspect, but in the end they say he used a handgun to take his own life.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is the first agency in the state of California to use the Grappler Police Bumper, which is a tool meant to stop pursuit suspects safely by entangling their rear wheels into a yellow nylon net. But for some reason, that yellow net did not properly deploy in this case.
The sheriff’s department released a statement to Eyewitness News regarding the incident.
“All pursuits are reviewed to ensure they align with our department policies and procedures,” said a department spokesperson. “At the conclusion of our pursuits, the effectiveness of any pursuit intervention tactic that was used will also be evaluated for effectiveness.
“The Grappler is a tool utilized to prevent or intervene during a pursuit. Although law enforcement strives for 100% effectiveness with every tactic or tool used during confrontations, that’s not always the case. The Grappler has proven to be a highly effective tool for intervening during pursuits, and we will continue to use it.”
The grappler device is manufactured by Stock Enterprises, LLC.
“Stock Enterprises LLC prioritizes safety and the proper use of the Grappler,” said Hannah Bowen, a spokesperson with Stock Enterprises. “We do not comment on specific deployments or incidents involving agencies, as those are handled directly by the agencies themselves.”
Not only did the crash destroy the backyard wall of a homeowner in the neighborhood, but caused damage to the garage.
The homeowner said an investigator with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office told her to file a report with the sheriff’s department, to see if county officials will pay for the rebuilding of her wall.
She said she’s unsure whether the County will pay for the damage to the garage.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has not yet released the name of the grand theft suspect they were pursuing.
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