Metro Is Chasing More Suspects Now. Here Is What a Police Pursuit Can Mean for a DUI or Stolen Vehicle Case

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed it is now pursuing DUI and stolen vehicle suspects it previously would have let go. Anyone facing charges after a chase should understand how a pursuit can reshape a case, for better or worse.

What Actually Changed

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed this week that Metro has broadened the situations in which officers are allowed to chase a fleeing vehicle. Under the old approach, officers generally would not pursue someone suspected only of DUI or driving a stolen car unless another serious factor was involved. The updated policy now allows pursuits in DUI cases, stolen vehicle investigations, and what the department calls major case protocol situations, where someone is wanted in connection with a broader series of crimes.

The sheriff has framed the shift as a response to suspects who had, in his words, stopped believing officers would chase them at all. A supervising sergeant is still required to authorize and monitor every pursuit, with the power to call it off if road conditions, weather, or public safety concerns outweigh the value of catching the suspect in that moment.

Metro is leaning on technology to make these pursuits safer to carry out, including drones, helicopters, and a wheel-immobilizing tool officers call the Grappler, which is designed to end a chase without a prolonged high-speed pursuit.

The Numbers Behind the Policy Shift

Metro's own data shows pursuits were already climbing before this latest expansion, rising from 51 in 2024 to 60 in 2025. Officials have acknowledged that comprehensive data on how the newly expanded categories affect that number will not be available for months, since the broader pursuit authority itself only took hold gradually starting last year.

That increase matters because pursuits carry documented risk to everyone nearby, not just the fleeing driver. In one widely reported April incident in the Las Vegas Valley, a driver uninvolved in the underlying crime was hospitalized after a fleeing suspect crashed into their vehicle. Even the police union has acknowledged that risk publicly while still supporting the expanded policy.

How a Pursuit Can Change Your Legal Exposure

If you are the person who fled, the pursuit itself is very likely to become a separate charge from whatever originally caught an officer's attention, whether that was a suspected DUI, a report of a stolen vehicle, or something else entirely. Nevada treats fleeing or eluding a police officer as its own offense, and that charge typically gets more serious the longer the chase lasts or the more it endangers others.

A pursuit also generates a large amount of evidence that a defense attorney can examine closely: dashcam and bodycam footage, in-car computer logs, radio traffic describing why the pursuit began, and supervisor decisions about whether to continue or end it. Any of those details can become central to challenging whether the stop was justified in the first place, or whether the pursuit itself was conducted consistent with department policy.

What to Do If You Were Arrested After a Chase

Being arrested at the end of a pursuit does not change your basic rights. You can decline to answer questions beyond identifying yourself, and you can ask clearly for an attorney before saying anything else about what happened before, during, or after the chase.

Because pursuit cases often stack an evading charge on top of an underlying DUI or stolen vehicle allegation, an early review by a defense attorney of the stop, the pursuit decision, and the arrest itself is one of the most useful steps a person facing these charges can take. Understanding exactly what triggered the pursuit, and whether it followed Metro's own supervisory rules, can matter a great deal to how the case ultimately resolves.

6 Things to Know About Metro's New Pursuit Policy

The policy change affects far more people than just habitual offenders. Anyone driving in the Las Vegas Valley, and anyone facing a charge that stemmed from a chase, should understand how it works.

1. DUI suspects can now be pursued: A category Metro previously would not chase for that reason alone is now explicitly included in the expanded policy.
2. Stolen vehicle cases are included too: Officers no longer need an additional serious factor beyond the stolen vehicle report itself to initiate a chase.
3. A supervisor still has to sign off in real time: A sergeant monitors every pursuit and can end it based on road conditions, weather, or public risk.
4. Technology plays a bigger role than a straight chase: Drones, helicopters, and the wheel-immobilizing Grappler device are meant to shorten pursuits and reduce risk.
5. Pursuit numbers are already climbing: Recorded pursuits rose from 51 in 2024 to 60 in 2025, before the newest expansion took full effect.
6. A chase can add its own separate charge: Evading or fleeing a police officer is generally prosecuted on top of whatever offense started the stop.

Frequently asked questions

Can Las Vegas police now chase me if they suspect DUI?

Yes. Metro's updated pursuit policy specifically added DUI suspects to the categories officers may pursue, which was not generally true under the prior policy.

What is the Grappler device Metro uses to end pursuits?

It is a police tool designed to snag a fleeing vehicle's wheels and bring it to a controlled stop, intended to shorten dangerous high-speed chases.

If I flee from police, does that add a separate charge?

Typically yes. Fleeing or eluding a police officer is generally treated as its own offense in Nevada, separate from whatever the officer originally suspected.

Can the way a pursuit was conducted be challenged in my defense?

It can be. Dashcam and bodycam footage, radio logs, and supervisor decisions during the chase are all evidence a defense attorney can review to challenge how the stop and pursuit were carried out.