On Aug. 24, at approximately 11:17 p.m., officers with the Villa Park Police Department were alerted to a U-Haul van that had fled from Maywood officers minutes earlier.
According to a statement from Villa Park Chief of Police Todd Kubish, Villa Park officers located the vehicle near Roosevelt Road and Villa Avenue. Officers successfully deployed a tire-deflation device and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver reportedly refused to stop and fled eastbound on Roosevelt before entering southbound I-294. Villa Park officers initiated a pursuit, and coordinated with officers from the Oak Brook Police Department as the pursuit continued. Officers from both agencies successfully deployed additional tire-deflation devices against the fleeing van. Oak Brook officers subsequently deployed their Grappler Police device, which successfully immobilized the vehicle.
The Grappler Police device is a front-mounted, vehicle-arresting device designed to end police pursuits by entangling a fleeing vehicle’s rear tire. With the flip of a switch, an officer deploys a heavy-duty nylon net that’s attached to a reinforced strap. The net wraps around the tire and axle, locking the wheel while remaining tethered to the pursuing police cruiser. Once engaged, the officer brakes or lets the tether pull the suspect vehicle to a controlled stop without executing a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver.
According to the Oak Brook Police Department, the Aug. 24 incident marked the department’s first use of the bumper-mounted Grappler Police device to end the pursuit of a fleeing vehicle. The stop took place on a stretch of road that was blocked off, so there was no risk to the public from the vehicle swaying.
A video of the stop is available on the Oak Brook Police Department’s Facebook page.
Villa Park officers took both occupants into custody without further incident after the controlled stop.
The driver of the vehicle, Nicole McGrew of Monticello, Indiana, was charged with a felony count of aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer, based upon allegedly exceeding the posted speed limit by 21 mph or more while fleeing police. McGrew appeared before Judge Joshua Dieden and was ordered detained pending her next court appearance on Sept. 21.
The passenger in the vehicle, Anthony Lashley of Chicago, was charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and was released pending further court proceedings.
