A driver suspected of speeding the wrong way down Interstate 25 to avoid law enforcement early Tuesday morning had seven previous charges for driving while intoxicated or impaired, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said.
Emergency dispatchers first received calls about a car driving the wrong way on southbound I-25 in near Plum Creek Parkway Castle Rock at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff’s officials said .
When deputies tried to stop the car, the driver sped up to over 80 mph and continued driving the wrong way. Deputies forced the car off the road using a tactical vehicle intervention, which is when law enforcement intentionally hit fleeing vehicles to bring them to a stop.
The man, whom the sheriff’s office did not identify, refused to get out of the car, but deputies were able to arrest him “without incident,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s deputies and Lone Tree police also closed the highway near C-470 during the incident for public safety.
Deputies reported the man showed “multiple indicators of possible impairment,” but he refused a blood alcohol test, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators later found he had seven previous charges for DUI and driving while ability impaired and currently had a suspended license.
Charges against the man are pending while deputies continue investigating the case, the sheriff’s office said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
