A high-speed chase involving a drunk driver came to a safe end in Livonia thanks to fast action by officers and the use of new technology designed to stop fleeing vehicles.
The chase began near 8 Mile and Middlebelt after officers attempted to pull over a vehicle that was swerving. Instead of stopping, the driver sped off — leading police on a pursuit through city streets.
It ended near Five Mile and Farmington when officers used a new device called the grappler, which safely brought the vehicle to a controlled stop.
The grappler is a tool mounted to the front of patrol cars. It deploys a strong webbing that wraps around the fleeing car’s rear tire, locking it in place. A long tether attached to the police vehicle then drags the suspect’s car to a gradual stop.
“It latches on a vehicle… the rotation of the tires on the vehicle… actively disabling the tire,” said Captain Eric Marcotte of the Livonia Police Department. “The officer deploys this grappler, and that webbing goes [in], completely disables the tire. Then a long bungee cord will bring that vehicle to a stop.”
The suspect, identified as 52-year-old Jason William Wise of Flint, was found to be intoxicated. Officials say he had an open container inside the vehicle.
Police say the situation could have ended in tragedy. Drunk driving sometimes leads to deadly crashes, and the fleeing suspect posed a serious threat to other drivers, pedestrians, and responding officers.
Marcotte noted that the suspect had more than enough time to surrender safely.
“This guy was not going to stop by any means. He had plenty of opportunity to pull over once the officers were behind him,” Marcotte said.
He praised the teamwork and professionalism of the officers involved.
“These officers take these kinds of calls very seriously… There was probably 8-10 officers on this drunk driver,” he said. “The ultimate goal is obviously to get him stopped before they injure or kill innocent bystanders, themselves, or other officers. So great job to the officer that actually deployed this grappler.”
The officer who used the grappler had just finished handling another run and was about to end his shift when he heard the pursuit come out over the radio. Without hesitation, he got back in his patrol car, joined the pursuit, and helped bring it to a safe conclusion.
