A Blanca man is in stable condition after being shot by authorities after he reportedly led them on a 65-mile chase that ended in New Mexico on Thursday night.
The unidentified 25-year-old suspect was shot in the left arm by New Mexico State Police and airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, according to a Colorado State Patrol news release.
The chase started about 11:30 p.m. on U.S. 160, 9 miles east of Alamosa, and ended well past midnight on southbound New Mexico 159.
The shooting is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police and other agencies, said Trooper Ryan Sullivan, a Colorado State Patrol spokesman.
“At this time, it’s a little early in the investigation to speculate on charges,” Sullivan said.
Deputies from the Alamosa and Costilla counties sheriff’s departments also shot at the suspect earlier after he began ramming police cars with his full-size Ford truck, said the release.
He was not hit by the deputies’ fire.
Tire-deflation devices set up by the New Mexico State Police and the Taos County Sheriff’s Department flattened the suspect’s tires on New Mexico 159.
The suspect stopped in a ditch 2 miles later and was wounded by New Mexico State Police gunfire.
The chase started after a Colorado trooper believed the motorist was in need of assistance. The trooper approached the Ford, noticed a collection of “several large knives in the vehicle” and suspected the driver was drunk, according to the release.
The suspect fled after a brief altercation with the trooper, who was assisted by an Alamosa County deputy.
Anthony Bowe: 720-382-6774 or abowe@denverpost.com
