A 16-year-old boy was thrown from a stolen vehicle and killed Wednesday night after he drove head-on into another vehicle while trying to outrun a U.S. Forest Service officer on U.S. 285 near Buena Vista.
Trinidad Baca, 16, of Omaha was killed in the accident, Trooper Don Moseman said.
Officers arrested Baca’s 15-year- old alleged accomplice Thursday morning after he wrecked a stolen sport utility vehicle while trying to elude a Colorado State Patrol officer, Moseman said.
The teens, who were reported as runaways from Omaha, were driving two stolen cars weaving through traffic south on U.S. 285 Wednesday night when the officer pulled them over just south of Johnson’s Village, Moseman said.
The drivers of the two vehicles, a 2002 Ford Explorer stolen in Buena Vista on Wednesday and a 2001 Ford Focus stolen in Omaha recently, stopped initially.
But as the Forest Service officer approached, the Focus sped off heading south, Moseman said. The officer took down the license of the Explorer and then chased the other car south on U.S. 285, reaching 100 mph, he said.
After 2 miles, the Focus overtook a State Patrol cruiser with its overhead lights on and smashed into a 1999 Subaru that was headed north, Moseman said. The driver of the Subaru, Sandee Jaastad of Buena Vista, was treated for moderate injuries in Salida. She was wearing a seat belt.
An hour later, a trooper saw the Explorer about 60 miles north of Johnson’s Village on U.S. 285 heading toward Denver.
He tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver sped up to 95 mph, Moseman said. The officer pulled up beside the suspect and forced the SUV to spin with his car. The Explorer went off the road and crashed, and the driver ran. He was later found hiding in a cabin he had broken into, Moseman said.
Both drivers were seen together in Buena Vista a few hours before they were first stopped, and it appeared they were traveling together, Moseman said.
Charges against the 15-year-old were pending.
In Colorado, Forest Service officers have authority to make stops and arrests in certain circumstances.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
