A man who was high on drugs died after he careened into a tree during a high-speed chase early this morning, officers say.
A second man, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was taken to a local hospital following the 3 a.m. accident in Littleton, said Lt. Alan Stanton of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
A sheriff’s deputy saw the driver of a dark car speed through a red light at 2:59 a.m. at the intersection of County Line Road and Yosemite Drive.
The driver, later identified by the sheriff’s office as Michael James Medina of Highlands Ranch, was northbound on Yosemite when the deputy turned on his lights and siren, Stanton said.
Medina suspect sped up immediately and turned onto Inverness Drive, he said.
He could not navigate a curve in the road while going about 80 mph and slammed into a tree in the median just 81 seconds after the chase began, Stanton said.
Deputies learned that the man was high on drugs at the time of the accident, Stanton said. Suspected methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia were found at the scene.
Toxicology results could take several weeks.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
