Galveston Police Department Deploys Byrna SD to Apprehend Hit-and-Run Driver

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Jun 17, 2022, 08:00 ET

ANDOVER, Mass.., June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, May 12^th the Galveston Police Department received several 911 calls reporting that a vehicle had just struck a bicyclist and fled the scene. Witnesses stated that the bicyclist received serious injuries and would need immediate medical attention. A few minutes later another 911 caller stated they were just involved in an accident and the suspect vehicle was also fleeing the scene. Dispatchers quickly ascertained that the second collision was just blocks from the first and the vehicle descriptions matched. The second caller stated that they were following the suspect vehicle and continued to give updated locations until patrol units arrived. A patrol officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle, but the driver began to evade officers, leading them on a chase that wound its way through several residential streets. The suspect finally stopped the vehicle in the middle of the roadway near several apartment complexes. The officers then conducted a "high risk stop" where several patrol cars line up behind the suspect vehicle and verbal commands are given over a loudspeaker to the driver and occupants of the car. During this "high risk stop" several commands were given for the driver to exit the car and walk back to the officers but the driver failed to comply, barricading himself in the vehicle.

After approximately 10 minutes with no resolution, officers on scene called for anyone with a long-range less lethal device. Due to the distance and type of situation, a taser or chemical agent aerosol would have been ineffective. Galveston PD Special Operations Units and select patrol officers had recently been issued Byrna SD less-lethal launchers and shortly after the call, a patrol officer carrying a Byrna SD arrived on scene.

At some point during this "high risk stop", the driver had opened his door and left it ajar. The patrol officer warned the driver that if he did not exit the vehicle, he would be utilizing a chemical agent based less-lethal device. With no reaction from the driver, and from approximately 40 feet away, the patrol officer fired five rounds of Byrna Max into the vehicle. The first three rounds struck the dashboard in front of the driver, and he immediately began reacting to the chemical irritant. The next two rounds struck the driver directly at which point he quickly exited the vehicle and began walking backward to the officers where he surrendered without any further resistance.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested for Felony Accident Involving Injury and Felony Evading in a Vehicle. The bicyclist that he struck had suffered severe spinal injury, breaking several vertebrae, several broken ribs, and a broken leg.

Josh Schirard, Byrna's Director of Law Enforcement Operations, stated "we are extremely pleased that Galveston PD was able to use the Byrna SD to great effect in apprehending a suspect, under dangerous conditions, without having to resort to deadly force. This "high risk stop" is exactly what the Byrna SD was designed for – being able to disarm and disorient a non-compliant subject from a significant standoff distance, without risking serious injury or death. No other less-lethal device could have been effective under the circumstances." Click here to see the apprehension from the vantage point of the officer's bodycam video.

About Byrna Technologies Inc.

Byrna is a technology company, specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative non-lethal personal security solutions. For more information on the Company, please visit the corporate website here or the Company's investor relations site here. The Company is the manufacturer of the Byrna® SD personal security device, a state-of-the-art handheld CO2 powered launcher designed to provide a non-lethal alternative to a firearm for the consumer, private security, and law enforcement markets. To purchase Byrna products, visit the Company's e-commerce store.

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SOURCE Byrna Technologies Inc.