The Grappler Police Bumper System is wrapped around the rear of a Mercedes whose driver is accused of fleeing from officers early Friday morning. Photo by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Douglas County officials used a new device to stop a man driving into Nevada at speeds up to 100 mph early Friday morning.
Sheriff Dan Coverley said his office was asked around 12:36 a.m. to be on the lookout for a black Mercedes traveling north on Highway 395.
The vehicle was reportedly involved in an armed robbery in Lancaster on Thursday and was considered armed and dangerous, according to a California Highway Patrol bulletin.
CHP officers spotted the vehicle in Walker Canyon and, along with Mono County Sheriff’s deputies, attempted to stop it.
The driver, later identified as Joseph Baird, 27, of Fresno, California, refused to stop and accelerated to over 100 mph northbound into Nevada near Topaz Lake.
Joseph Baird
Douglas County officials set up spike barriers near Pine Valley Road, hitting all four tires of the Mercedes, but Baird continued to flee.
Coverley said officers used a police grappling hook system and successfully stopped the Mercedes near the entrance to the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery in southern Carson Valley.
After the stop, officers spent twenty minutes trying to persuade Baird to exit his vehicle. He was then taken into custody for several offenses, including fleeing.
Baird appeared in East Fork Justice Court Friday morning, where his bail was set at $105,770. East Fork interim Justice of the Peace Tom Perkins ruled that he could afford an attorney and ordered him to appear in court again next week.
Sheriff’s investigators are working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office to assist them in their investigation into the armed robbery.
“I’m very proud of my deputies for stopping Baird before he came to town,” Coverley said. “Using the grapple is a critical advantage for us because it gives us the ability to safely stop a vehicle if it tries to run away from us.”
