A Centennial woman was beaten, robbed and dragged down the street during a carjacking early today, but she was able to escape, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Just after 7 a.m. the woman, whose name has not been released because the incident is still under investigation, was stopped at a traffic light at Clarkson Street and Orchard Road when a man approached her asking for directions.
After she told the man she could not help him, he lunged into the car and began to hit her in the face, according to deputies. The man then forced his way into her car, sitting on her lap.
He continued to hit her, but she was able to free herself and get out of the car. The woman then got tangled in her seat belt and was dragged about 10 feet, deputies said.
Though the motive for the attack is unclear, “right now, we’re investigating it as a robbery,” said Bruce Williamson, public safety bureau chief for the sheriff’s office.
The suspect is at large. He is described as a white man, in his early 20s, with reddish-blond hair and blue eyes. He also has a goatee. He is about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds, deputies said.
The woman, who is in her 30s, was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital and released.
Some articles of her purse were found near the High Line Canal, and her car was found abandoned in the 5900 block of South High Street, about eight blocks from where the carjacking occurred.
“We have a number of different witnesses,” Williamson said. The sheriff’s office received calls from those at the scene and some who saw the suspect running through their yards.
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect is asked to contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office at 303-795-4711.
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or scrocker@denverpost.com.
