Border Patrol uses 'bumper lasso' stop fleeing car

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Border Patrol agents in California were the first ever within the Border Patrol to use an innovated vehicle immobilization device to stop a smuggling vehicle.

It happened on Sunday about 1:30 p.m. when agents assigned to Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) at the Calexico station, received a citizens call reporting suspicious behavior near Gordon’s Well exit and Interstate 8 involving a yellow PT Cruiser.

Agents responded and found a vehicle matching the description driving eastbound on Interstate 8.  The vehicle then drove across the median and began to travel westbound. 

Agents attempted to perform a vehicle stop but the vehicle failed to yield.  Additional agents responded with a vehicle immobilization device known as a "Grappler."  After a short pursuit, the Grappler successfully stopped the PT Cruiser without further incident.

Inside the vehicle, agents identified the driver as a 20-year-old man who holds a Border Crossing Card  and a 17-year-old girl, who is a U.S. citizen in the front seat.  In the back of the vehicle, agents discovered four Mexican citizens, all without the proper documentation.

Federal authorities say the driver and passenger will be held in custody pending criminal prosecution.  The four Mexican citizens will be held as material witnesses.

Grappler Police Bumpers resemble a large slingshot that is attached to the front of the law enforcement vehicle.  When deployed, it launched a series of straps that lasso the back tires of the car being pursued.