A Denver police pursuit of an apparent carjacking suspect ended with a crash on Colorado 7 that sent the suspect and a teenage victim to the hospital.
Police received the report of a carjacking or kidnapping with the victim still inside the vehicle at around 5:15 a.m. near the 4700 block of West First Avenue, said Denver Police spokesman Doug Schepman. Officers located the car about five minutes later and pursued it onto the northbound lanes of Interstate 25. The suspect later exited the highway at Colorado 7 and crashed near Washington Street, Schepman said, at about 5:36 a.m.
The driver is a 17-year-old male, and the victim is a 17-year-old female who is believed to have serious injuries.
Schepman said that though officers had tried to turn and stop the car earlier in the pursuit, the crash occurred because the suspect lost control after exiting I-25. The suspect reached “high speeds on I-25,” Schepman said, though “exact speeds will be determined as part of the investigation.”
Police’s initial investigation indicates the two teenagers were part of a larger group that was hanging out together. Schepman said that police believe there was some sort of argument that preceded the apparent carjacking. He said police believe the victim did not know the suspect. The pursuit was authorized because the victim was still inside the vehicle, he said.
There are no indications that weapons were involved. Schepman said he didn’t know for certain where the pursuit began.
Colorado 7 was closed in both directions from I-25 to Washington Street early Friday morning; eastbound lanes reopened by about 10 a.m., according to the Broomfield Police Department. The nearby East 168th Avenue was also closed at Weld County Road 11.
