Wild moment California chase ends with suspect crawling into storm drain after cops deploy car-catching grappler

Talk about a lousy hiding spot!

A California suspect’s freeway getaway ended with a crawl into a storm drain after cops deployed a car-catching Grappler to stop his vehicle — only for the wanted man to find himself in police custody anyway.

The bizarre chase went down in Corona in early October, with police dashcam footage capturing the arrest after the suspect’s attempt to evade authorities took a subterranean turn.

The action unfolded on the westbound 91 Freeway near the Green River Road exit, where Riverside police called in their FLEX Team for backup after a pursuit entered Corona. Officers successfully deployed the Grappler, bringing the fleeing vehicle to a stop.

But the driver wasn’t ready to call it quits.

The suspect bolted on foot and tried to hide inside a storm drain, apparently hoping to slip away from the pursuing officers. Instead, authorities tracked him down and took him into custody without further incident.

The man was wanted on an active felony warrant and for reckless evading, according to the incident summary.

The storm drain stunt came after officers put the department’s Grappler device to work. Police introduced the pursuit-ending technology in September, following a successful deployment to stop a chase in late August.

This time, the device helped bring the freeway pursuit to a halt, but the suspect’s foot chase added one final twist before cops caught up with him.

The incident involved the Riverside Police Department and the Corona Police Department, with the arrest wrapping up a pursuit that began on the freeway and ended with the suspect’s failed attempt to hide underground.

The takeaway for the fleeing suspect? Stopping the car was only the beginning of his troubles — and crawling into a storm drain wasn’t exactly an exit strategy.

Authorities ultimately took him into custody without further incident.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters