A 23-year-old man driving a car reported stolen in Denver was arrested Friday night in Colorado Springs after being chased by officers, police say.
Markus Ortiz was taken into custody on numerous charges, including motor vehicle theft and felony eluding, after an officer forced him to crash on the 400 block of Chelton Road, authorities said.
Police say Ortiz was spotted driving the stolen Honda Civic near the intersection of Airport Road and Academy Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. When an officer tried to stop him, investigators say Ortiz fled driving the wrong way on the city’s southeast thoroughfares and at speeds above 70 mph.
“The traffic was light and officers pursued,” police said in a news bulletin.
Eventually an officer leading the chase “initiated a tactical vehicle intervention,” at which point the stolen Honda rotated clockwise, crossed all lanes of the roadway, struck the east curb, continued across the sidewalk and came to rest in the parking lot of a nearby business, according to police.
No one was injured, police say. Records show Ortiz is being held at the El Paso County jail.
