A 17-year-old driver died Wednesday after crashing into other vehicles moments after a Thornton police officer tried to pull him over for speeding,
An officer was doing speed enforcement in the 4200 block of 104th Avenue about 4:40 p.m. and tried to pull over a speeding vehicle, the Thornton Police Department said in a news release.
When the speeding driver did not stop, the officer turned off their lights and sirens, spokesperson Kylynn McTague said.
“Shortly after” that, police said in the news release, the driver crashed into vehicles near the intersection of 104th Avenue and McKay Road, about a mile east. He died at the scene, and six people were taken to the hospital, including one person who is in critical condition.
McTague said she didn’t know the exact location where the officer turned off their lights and sirens, or how long they followed the vehicle.
More people died in police chases in this Denver suburb than in the state’s biggest cities
The teen's name will be released by the .
The 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is also investigating the crash, which is standard when someone dies or is seriously injured after police contact, Thornton officials said.
East 104th Avenue and McKay Road were closed until 12:30 a.m. Thursday for the crash investigation.
