A man in a stolen vehicle caused a three-car crash that critically injured another driver, police said.
Police identified the driver of the stolen 2003 Audi A4 as 35-year-old Eli Joseph Kelly.
Kelly, who had a felony warrant out for his arrest prior to the crash, is being held in the Adams County Jail.
The incident began at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday when a Thornton police officer saw the unattended stolen Audi parked in the 600 block of West 91st Avenue.
A short time later, the officer spotted the vehicle heading west on West 91st Avenue near Huron Street.
The officer turned on his overhead lights and tried to pull over the Audi. The driver turned north on Huron at a high speed and then east onto Thornton Parkway.
Traffic was heavy, so the officer turned off his lights and slowed down but kept driving in the same direction, police said.
The Audi, at a high speed, collided with a 2002 blue Subaru that was turning from westbound Thornton Parkway onto the southbound ramp of Interstate 25, police said.
The Subaru spun and hit a 2001 PT Cruiser as the Audi crashed into a light pole.
The driver of the Subaru was ejected from the car and suffered multiple internal and head injuries, police said. She was taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital in critical condition.
The driver of the PT Cruiser was treated for injuries at the scene and released.
After the crash, Kelly dashed across I-25 on foot but was caught by police east of the highway.
He was taken to North Suburban Medical Center and transferred to Swedish Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
The incident remains under investigation, and Kelly faces multiple charges, police said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
