Two men fired on by officers in Adams County died of gunshot wounds.
Juan Luis Arteaga, 21, and Jose Cruz Banuelos, 22, died after police fired on a stolen pickup they were in early Friday morning.
The Adams County Coroner’s Office said today that Arteaga died of a single wound and Banuelos died of multiple wounds.
A third person in the pickup, which crashed, was taken into custody, but the Adams County Sheriff’s Office has not released the suspect’s identity.
The sheriff’s office today declined further comment on the incident.
At about 2 a.m. Friday a Westminster police officer picked up an anti-theft “LoJack” signal from a vehicle near Cuchara Street and Greenwood Boulevard in Adams County, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said.
The Westminster police officer followed the signal and soon was joined by a sheriff’s deputy. As they got closer to the stolen pickup, it fled and officers took off in pursuit.
Officers from the Colorado State Patrol and Federal Heights Police Department joined in the chase.
A short time later, the pickup rammed three patrol cars in an attempt to get away. Near East 62nd Avenue and Broadway, and officer from Westminster and an Adams County deputy fired at the truck.
The pickup, a dark-colored Ford, crashed into the side of a building at Paulino Gardens, a floral nursery and garden center.
No police officers were injured.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
