(Still from Squad Camera Footage)
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. — The Pleasant Prairie Police Department’s new high-tech pursuit-stopping system has already proven successful twice in two consecutive nights, allowing officers to stop fleeing vehicles and arrest two suspects without continuing dangerous high-speed pursuits. The second arrest, early Friday morning, October 16, 2026, involved Deonta Lorenzo Graham, 39, of Kenosha, a man with an extensive history of arrests and criminal cases dating back years. Police say Graham fled from officers in a stolen SUV before the department’s new Grappler Police Bumper System brought the pursuit to a controlled conclusion.
The two incidents occurred October 15 and 16, marking the department’s first two successful deployments of the Grappler system. The technology, mounted to the front of specially equipped patrol vehicles, allows officers to deploy a high-strength net that wraps around the rear tire of a fleeing vehicle, immobilizing it and preventing the driver from continuing to flee. Police say the equipment provides an alternative to lengthy, dangerous pursuits that can put officers, suspects and innocent motorists at risk.
(Still from Squad Camera Footage)
First Deployment: Waterford Woman Arrested October 15
The department’s first successful deployment came during the early morning hours of Thursday, October 15, when Pleasant Prairie officers were notified of a vehicle that had fled from a neighboring law enforcement jurisdiction. Officers began checking the area and located the vehicle traveling southbound on Green Bay Road near Highway 50 at a high rate of speed.
As officers attempted to catch up, the driver disregarded a red traffic signal and continued southbound. When the vehicle eventually slowed, officers positioned their patrol vehicle and successfully deployed the Grappler system, capturing the fleeing vehicle and preventing the driver from accelerating away.
The driver, identified by police as a 36-year-old woman from Waterford, Wisconsin, was taken into custody without incident and turned over to the originating law enforcement agency. Police indicated that she faced multiple criminal allegations in both Kenosha and Racine counties.
The department released video of the incident, showing the pursuit from the perspective of a police vehicle and highlighting how the Grappler system was used to bring the fleeing vehicle to a stop.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
Second Deployment: Kenosha Man Flees Police In SUV
Less than 24 hours later, Pleasant Prairie Police would have another opportunity to use their new equipment.
During the early morning hours of Friday, October 16, an officer conducting traffic enforcement near Green Bay Road and 85th Street observed a dark-colored SUV traveling recklessly without its headlights illuminated.
When the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver refused to pull over and fled, leading police on a pursuit spanning several miles through Pleasant Prairie.
Officers successfully deployed the Grappler Police Bumper System, bringing the fleeing SUV to a controlled stop and ending the pursuit. Investigators subsequently determined that the vehicle had been stolen from a neighboring jurisdiction shortly before the pursuit began.
The driver, identified as Deonta Lorenzo Graham, 39, of Kenosha, was taken into custody.
According to police and Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office jail records, Graham was referred for numerous alleged offenses, including felony fleeing or eluding an officer, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, resisting an officer, obstructing an officer and third-offense operating while intoxicated.
The jail records also list allegations of felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping, operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, burglary of a dwelling with a person present, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Those additional allegations are reflected in Graham’s October 16 booking, although the available records do not establish whether they all arose from the same incident.
Several traffic violations were also recorded, including reckless driving, operating while revoked, failing to comply with ignition interlock requirements, operating without required headlights and possessing open intoxicants in a motor vehicle.
Graham was booked into the Kenosha County Jail at approximately 5:05 a.m. Friday.
Graham’s Lengthy History With Law Enforcement
A review of Graham’s Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office booking history reveals numerous previous arrests, jail stays and criminal proceedings stretching back to at least 2018.
The records show that Graham has previously been arrested in connection with allegations involving strangulation and suffocation, domestic abuse, false imprisonment, battery, intimidation of a victim, bail jumping and offenses involving law enforcement officers.
In September 2018, Graham was booked on allegations that included strangulation and suffocation, battery and disorderly conduct. The records also reference proceedings involving operating while revoked and ignition interlock device violations.
In 2021, Graham was again booked in connection with serious domestic abuse allegations. Those allegations included strangulation and suffocation, false imprisonment, battery involving a domestic abuse repeater allegation, and multiple counts of bail jumping. Other 2021 bookings involved victim intimidation, battery and additional alleged violations of court-imposed conditions.
Graham’s encounters with the criminal justice system continued in subsequent years. Jail records document additional bookings during 2022 and 2023 involving alleged property damage, disorderly conduct, resisting or obstructing officers, bail jumping and other offenses.
A December 2023 booking included allegations involving battery or threats directed at public officers, resisting or obstructing law enforcement, and allegations related to misconduct while in custody.
Graham was also booked into the Kenosha County Jail in August 2024, with records reflecting several pending or previously filed criminal cases. That booking history lists a release date of June 4, 2026, approximately four months before Friday’s pursuit.
The booking history includes both criminal allegations and entries reflecting court proceedings, including some cases in which time was served or probation was imposed. The jail records alone do not establish that Graham was convicted of every offense appearing in his history.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
How The Grappler System Works
Unlike traditional police pursuit intervention techniques, which can involve intentionally striking or spinning a fleeing vehicle, the Grappler system is designed to stop a vehicle by capturing one of its rear tires with a specially engineered net.
The equipment is installed on the front of a police vehicle. When an officer gets close enough to the fleeing vehicle, the system deploys a high-strength net that catches the rear tire. The net is designed to entangle the tire and immobilize the vehicle, allowing officers to bring the situation to a controlled conclusion.
The technology is intended to reduce the risk of serious crashes associated with high-speed pursuits, particularly those involving drivers who refuse to stop for emergency lights and sirens.
The two Pleasant Prairie incidents demonstrate how the system can be used under different circumstances. In the first incident, officers deployed the Grappler after the fleeing vehicle slowed. In the second, the equipment was used to stop an SUV whose driver had already led officers on a pursuit through the village.
Both incidents ended with arrests, and the department reported successful Grappler deployments in each case.
Police Department Praises Technology And Training
Following the second deployment, the Pleasant Prairie Police Department publicly praised its officers and the investment in specialized technology that made the arrests possible.
“Once again, Pleasant Prairie Police demonstrate how advanced technology, specialized training, and quick decision-making can bring dangerous pursuits to a successful conclusion,” the department wrote in a public statement Friday.
Police officials say the technology reflects the department’s ongoing efforts to give officers additional tools for addressing dangerous situations while minimizing unnecessary risks to the public.
Following the first deployment, the department emphasized its commitment to investing in equipment and training that can make police operations safer.
“Our priority remains the safety of our officers, residents, and everyone traveling through our community,” the department said.
With two successful deployments in just two nights, the Pleasant Prairie Police Department has demonstrated how its newest piece of equipment can end dangerous pursuits while giving officers another option for apprehending fleeing suspects.
The department has released videos of both incidents, allowing the public to see the Grappler system in action and how officers were able to bring the pursuits to an end.
