US police have successfully used a gun that fires a cord to bind the assailant鈥檚 limbs for the first time.
Earlier this month, police in Fort Worth, Texas, were called to deal with an armed suspect barricaded in a house. Tear gas forced the suspect into the open, and officers then used the gun, called the BolaWrap, to prevent him from fleeing.
The BolaWrap is pistol-sized and has a laser pointer for aiming. It fires a 2.5 metre Kevlar cord up to 8 metres away, which wraps around the person, impeding movement. The cord has fishhook-like barbs at either end which attach to clothing, securing it in place.
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The BolaWrap鈥檚 name comes from the weighted bolas thrown by South America gauchos to capture running cattle or birds.
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Like the bolas, it is typically aimed at a person鈥檚 legs, which is what happened in the Fort Worth incident. Police say that while the suspect was attempting to remove the BolaWrap, officers overpowered him and took him into custody.
Sixteen US police departments are testing the device, developed by Las Vegas-based Wrap Technologies, but this is the first time it has been used in action.
BolaWrap is intended to prevent a situation from escalating.聽 While Tasers and pepper spray inflict pain and may provoke a violent response, BolaWrap simply holds the suspect in place. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like handcuffs, from a distance,鈥� says Judah Meiteles of Wrap Technologies.
However, there are potential hazards. Any device like this could be dangerous at extremely short range.
There are also real concerns over accuracy and the risks posed to the face, head and neck, says Oliver Feeley-Sprague at human rights charity Amnesty International. Training is important for using the device safely, says Meiteles.
