A Denver Police pursuit of an apparent carjacking suspect ended with a crash on Highway 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 1st 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 Highway 7 and crashed near Washington Street, Schepman said.
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.
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.
In statements on social media, Broomfield and Thornton police said that Highway 7 was closed in both directions from I-25 to Washington Street early Friday morning. The nearby East 168th Avenue was also closed at Weld County Road 11.
