A man who was apparently high on drugs died after the stolen car he was driving careened into a tree during a police chase early Tuesday morning, officers said.
Michael Medina, 20, was driving 80 mph when he hit the tree, said Kim Castellano, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, in a news release. The impact split the car in half, she said.
His passenger, identified as Paul Marselino Jr., 25, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital after the 3 a.m. wreck, said Lt. Alan Stanton of the Sheriff’s Department.
A deputy saw a black 1997 Saturn speed through a red light at 2:59 a.m. at the intersection of County Line Road and Yosemite Drive.
Medina was driving northbound on Yosemite when the deputy turned on his lights and siren, Stanton said.
Medina sped up immediately and turned onto Inverness Drive, Stanton said.
Medina could not negotiate a curve in the road and slammed into a tree in the median 81 seconds after the chase began, Stanton said.
Deputies believe the man was high on drugs at the time of the accident. The news release said a bag of suspected methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle.
Inverness was closed in both directions for several hours.
The car had been stolen earlier in the evening, Castellano said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
