hit-and-run – The Denver Post Colorado breaking news, sports, business, weather, entertainment. Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:05:28 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-DP_bug_denverpost.jpg?w=32 hit-and-run – The Denver Post 32 32 111738712 Highlands Ranch hit-and-run that killed 1, injured 2 looked intentional, witnesses say /2026/06/03/highlands-ranch-hit-run-crash-arrest/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:10:10 +0000 /?p=7774825 The man arrested in a Highlands Ranch hit-and-run that killed a woman and injured two other pedestrians on Monday suddenly jerked onto the sidewalk and hit the group, witnesses told Douglas County investigators.

Adam Bauserman, 28, was arrested on suspicion of seven felony charges, including vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, second-degree assault, failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury and vehicular assault, according to a . He is also accused of driving under restraint with a revoked license, a misdemeanor.

Witnesses told police that the crash near Willowbridge Way and East Wildcat Reserve Parkway looked intentional, according to Bauserman’s arrest affidavit. The truck suddenly “jerked” to the right, traveled over the curb and struck the three pedestrians before returning to the road, according to the affidavit.

One witness told police that “the truck was traveling so fast, she thought he was going to roll the vehicle,” the affidavit stated. Another said the driver “hit the curb with such force” that it launched the truck several feet in the air.

The driver pulled a U-turn after returning to the road and drove slowly past the crash scene before leaving, the second witness told investigators.

“Do you know if I killed the man?” Bauserman asked one Douglas County deputy while in custody, according to the affidavit.

“At least one person is dead,” the deputy replied.

That person is Corrine More, a 35-year-old woman from Highlands Ranch, according to the Douglas County Coroner’s Office. Paramedics took the other two victims — a 30-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman — to the hospital with severe injuries, according to the affidavit.

The man suffered “serious permanent disfigurement” and “was at a substantial risk of death,” the affidavit stated, citing doctors from Littleton Adventist Hospital. He suffered fractures to his arms, legs, spine, ribs and scapula.

The 72-year-old woman was taken to HCA HealthONE Sky Ridge, where doctors noted she suffered a head injury with brain bleed, a dislocated left shoulder, broken ribs and a fractured pelvic bone, according to the affidavit.

As of Wednesday morning, Bauserman was being held in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detention facility in Castle Rock on a $100,000 bail, according to inmate records. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday for a hearing on official charges.

Douglas County deputies responded to the fatal crash shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday. A blue pickup truck believed to have been driven by Bauserman left the road and hit three pedestrians on the sidewalk, according to the sheriff’s office.

One witness who saw the crash followed the truck as the driver fled the scene and helped deputies find and arrest the suspect, now identified as Bauserman, according to the sheriff’s office.

Anyone with information about the crash, including videos of the crash or the before and after the crash, is asked to contact detectives at bpereira@dcsheriff.net or 303-660-7537.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7774825 2026-06-03T08:10:10+00:00 2026-06-03T10:05:28+00:00
1 killed, 2 injured after Douglas County driver hits pedestrians on sidewalk, flees the scene /2026/06/01/douglas-county-highlands-ranch-crash/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:19:34 +0000 /?p=7773368 An unidentified driver ran over a group of pedestrians on a Highlands Ranch sidewalk on Monday, killing one person and sending two others to the hospital, according to law enforcement.

Douglas County deputies responded to the hit-and-run crash near Willowbridge Way and East Wildcat Reserve Parkway shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deborah Takahara said in an email to The Denver Post.

One witness who saw the fatal crash followed the suspect vehicle as the driver fled the scene and helped deputies find the suspect in nearby Daniels Park, Takahara said. Deputies arrested the driver, who has not been publicly identified.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Takahara said.

No identifying information was provided about the pedestrians who were hit, but Takahara said one person died at the scene and paramedics took two others to the hospital with serious and critical injuries.

The person killed in the crash will be identified by the Douglas County Coroner’s Office.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7773368 2026-06-01T13:19:34+00:00 2026-06-01T13:19:34+00:00
A volunteer group has helped Longmont police during emergencies for decades. Money trouble puts its future in question. /2026/05/17/longmont-emergency-unit-volunteer/ /2026/05/17/longmont-emergency-unit-volunteer/#respond Sun, 17 May 2026 18:52:03 +0000 /?p=7760591&preview=true&preview_id=7760591 For nearly a decade, Lt. Ryan Medhurst has spent his free time responding to emergencies in Longmont. Whether tasked with sweeping up broken glass after a car crash, conducting traffic or wading through a pond at 3 a.m. searching for a stolen gun, Medhurst takes pride in the work.

An information technology specialist by day, Medhurst is part of a small group of people — some retired, others with different day jobs — who volunteer with the Longmont Emergency Unit. Members of the all-volunteer search and rescue organization are trained in emergency medicine and respond to traffic crashes, conduct water rescues, and help police with traffic control and evidence recovery.

It¶¶Òőap not a glamorous job, but it¶¶Òőap a necessary one, Medhurst said.

“We’re problem solvers,” he said, adding, “We’re all here to keep the public safe, keep all their first responders safe.”

The unit has helped with emergency services in Longmont and around Boulder County since 1957. In recent years, however, the unit has struggled to recruit volunteers and secure enough funding.

“It¶¶Òőap getting a little tight. If we don’t figure it out, either with donations or other contracts, there is a reality that we may not be here in the future,” said former LEU Chief Mike Anderson. “Once we go through our savings, that¶¶Òőap it. Then we can’t pay the power bill.”

Change over time

The Longmont Emergency Unit formed in the summer of 1957 after the highlighted a need for people experienced in water-related rescues. The unit¶¶Òőap dive rescue team became one of the first in Colorado, according to Times-Call archives.

Members of the Longmont Emergency Unit's dive team practice an under ice search in McCall's Lake west of Longmont in January 1973. (Times-Call archive photo by Laverne Walker)
Members of the Longmont Emergency Unit’s dive team practice an under ice search in McCall’s Lake west of Longmont in January 1973. (Times-Call archive photo by Laverne Walker)

Over the decades, the all-volunteer group led searches for downed planes and missing people, rescued kids who fell into lakes and rivers, and extricated people from crashed cars. They’ve stationed themselves at the Boulder County Fair, parades and other large events in case of medical emergencies, and responded to large-scale events like the 2013 floods and the 2021 Marshall Fire.

Kevin Wells, the unit¶¶Òőap dive instructor, has been volunteering with the unit off and on since about 1996. In those early years, he recalls, LEU had about 55 members and a waiting list for those wanting to join.

Now, the unit has about 18 members, likely the smallest crew in quite a while, according to Anderson.

“As departments become bigger, better funded, they have less of a need (for) some of the things we did in the past,” Medhurst said.

Still, the group stays busy with about 200 to 300 calls each year — often helping with “oddball things” or traffic control during major incidents when police need all hands on deck, Medhurst said.

Longmont residents can often see LEU volunteers at the scenes of serious or fatal car crashes or SWAT calls — situations that require a lot of manpower.

In February, LEU was called to help when a in a hit-and-run crash in Erie.

“Our big vehicle is special; it has a light tower on it, and they needed that for the investigation as the sun went down,” said Rich Pateman, a Longmont resident and LEU volunteer.

“It¶¶Òőap a force multiplier, and to the taxpayers, a cost saving because we’re a lot cheaper than a fully paid employee,” Medhurst said.

Longmont Emergency Unit Lt. Ryan Medhurst moves cones while setting up traffic control for a crash at U.S. 287 and Park Ridge Avenue in Longmont on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)
Longmont Emergency Unit Lt. Ryan Medhurst moves cones while setting up traffic control for a crash at U.S. 287 and Park Ridge Avenue in Longmont on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

The group works closely with Longmont police, with whom they have an “excellent relationship,” Medhurst said. Police have a substation in LEU’s building at 663 17th Avenue, where they sometimes stop by to write reports.

On New Year’s Day, some LEU volunteers and a Longmont officer were eating pizza together when police were dispatched to a .

“We all went running out the door together, and we worked the call together,” Medhurst recalled.

Mike Butler, who led the Longmont Police Department from 1994 to 2020, said the public safety department called on LEU “quite a bit” for a variety of different situations during his tenure.

“I can’t tell you how many times I would be driving through the city or walking through an area and see LEU resources at work,” Butler said. “We often commented within the organization how valuable they were and how much help they were.”

In a statement, Longmont spokesperson Rogelio Mares said LEU has been a partner to Longmont Public Safety for many years, “providing assistance on a wide range of public safety calls in our community.”

Mares would not comment further on whether police found LEU’s assistance useful or if they were concerned that LEU might not be around if it can’t secure more funding.

Financial trouble

In the early years, the unit raised funds for vehicles and its first “jaws of life” through spaghetti dinners and other fundraisers. Now, the unit operates on a budget of about $65,000 — most of which comes from a contract with the city of Longmont.

That¶¶Òőap not enough to sustain the unit, which spends tens of thousands of dollars each year on vehicle and workers’ compensation insurance, according to Anderson. In recent years, they’ve spent more than $20,000 on their aging building, after a roof leak turned into a flood and they discovered HVAC problems.

“Our expenses have gone up, and not just insurance, but gas, vehicle cost, medical gear. Everything costs more,” Medhurst said.

The unit has asked the city for more money, but the city isn’t “in a place” to give, Anderson said. The unit received just under $61,000 from the city last year, according to city records.

The organization is looking for grants, but applying can be challenging, as the all-volunteer agency doesn’t have a grant writer.

“We’ve watched our savings deplete, basically, over the last five years,” Anderson said.

“We try to be as frugal and as efficient as we can, but it¶¶Òőap getting to the point where to cut back any further is getting rid of core capabilities,” Medhurst said. “Do we get rid of the dive team? Do we get rid of the medical team?”

The unit might not be able to keep the lights on in a year or 18 months unless something changes, Anderson said.

“We would kind of have to figure out another plan or close, which we don’t want. We’ve been here (nearly) 70 years,” he said.

LONGMONT, CO - MARCH 27:From left: Longmont Emergency Unit Lt. Ryan Medhurst and Rich Pateman watch after setting up traffic control for a crash at U.S. 287 and Park Ridge Avenue in Longmont on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)
LONGMONT, CO – MARCH 27:From left: Longmont Emergency Unit Lt. Ryan Medhurst and Rich Pateman watch after setting up traffic control for a crash at U.S. 287 and Park Ridge Avenue in Longmont on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

For many of LEU’s members, the work they do is a passion, and they hope to continue.

“You’re almost 70 years old, what are you doing on a  SWAT call?” Pateman, who is retired, recalls friends asking him. “I was like, well, it¶¶Òőap interesting work. It¶¶Òőap valuable work. It needs to be done.”

Medhurst agrees.

“You have those moments where you’re like, ‘hey, we made a difference here.’ You live for those moments.”

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/2026/05/17/longmont-emergency-unit-volunteer/feed/ 0 7760591 2026-05-17T12:52:03+00:00 2026-05-17T12:55:25+00:00
Motorcyclist injured in north Denver hit-and-run /2026/04/22/denver-hit-run-motorcycle-crash-2/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:51:00 +0000 /?p=7490407 Denver officers were searching Wednesday for the driver in a hit-and-run crash that injured a motorcyclist the night before, police said.

The Denver Police Department near East Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard at 9:43 p.m. Tuesday. A car hit a motorcycle near the intersection, on the edge of Denver’s Congress Park and Hale neighborhoods, and sent the motorcyclist to the hospital, police said.

Information about the hit-and-run car and driver was not available Wednesday.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7490407 2026-04-22T06:51:00+00:00 2026-04-22T06:51:00+00:00
Aurora woman injured after 13-year-old driver crashes into home, police say /2026/04/10/aurora-crash-careless-driving-teen/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:53:26 +0000 /?p=7480650 A 13-year-old was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving into an Aurora home, injuring a woman inside and fleeing the scene, police said.

Aurora officers responded to the crash in the 1100 block of North Jamaica Street at 8:57 a.m. Friday, police spokesperson Gabby Easterwood said. When officers arrived, they found that a car had hit the home and the driver had fled the scene. Easterwood said the teen left the scene on foot.

Paramedics took a woman inside the home to the hospital with serious injuries, Easterwood said. A second woman inside the home at the time of the crash was not injured.

Officers later arrested an unidentified 13-year-old on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury and careless driving, Easterwood said.

It’s unknown why the 13-year-old was driving.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7480650 2026-04-10T13:53:26+00:00 2026-04-10T13:53:57+00:00
Man spending decades in prison for 2 Aurora murders takes deal, pleads guilty to killing Denver cellmate /2026/04/10/ricky-roybal-smith-denver-murder/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:31:09 +0000 /?p=7480152 A man recently sentenced to eight decades in prison for murder in two Aurora stabbings took a deal and pleaded guilty this week to killing his Denver cellmate in an unrelated case, court records show.

Ricky Roybal-Smith, 38, pleaded guilty on Thursday to second-degree murder and DUI in the Denver case, a deal that dismissed the original first-degree murder charge, according to court records. Denver District Court Judge Andrew Luxen sentenced Roybal-Smith to 56 years in prison during the disposition hearing, which will run concurrently with his other prison sentence, court records show.

“In just over two days in metro Denver, Ricky Roybal-Smith murdered three men in cold blood,” . “Today’s sentence, alongside severe sentences in Adams County, ensures that Roybal-Smith will spend the rest of his life in prison, which is where he belongs given his horrific and senseless crimes.”

Roybal-Smith strangled his cellmate, Vincent Chacon, in Denver’s Downtown Detention Center after being arrested in connection with a hit-and-run on June 30, 2025, police said. He was already in custody there when Aurora police linked him to the two fatal stabbings that happened on June 29, 2025.

The Aurora victims, 27‑year‑old Jesse Shafer and 61‑year‑old Scott Davenport, were both found dead with dozens of stab wounds, police said.

Roybal-Smith took a deal and pleaded guilty in March to two counts of second-degree murder in the stabbings, which dropped two charges of first-degree murder from his case, according to court records. Adams County District Court Judge Brett Martin sentenced Roybal-Smith to 40 years in prison for each of the men’s deaths, court records show.

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7480152 2026-04-10T07:31:09+00:00 2026-04-10T07:31:09+00:00
Man gets 5 years in prison for Denver hit-and-run that killed pedestrian /2026/04/07/calistro-ortega-uribe-denver-crash/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:16:45 +0000 /?p=7476994 A man who fatally hit a Denver pedestrian and fled the scene last August was sentenced Monday to five years in prison, according to court records.

Calistro Ortega-Uribe, 50, took a deal and pleaded guilty in February to attempting to leave the scene of an accident involving death, Denver District Court records show. The deal dropped two felony charges, vehicular homicide by DUI and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, from his case.

Ortega-Uribe was arrested after hitting a pedestrian in the 3600 block of North Quebec Street on Aug. 16, 2025, and fleeing the scene, Denver police said. The block is near where Quebec intersects with Interstate 70.

The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner identified the pedestrian as 59-year-old Nicholas Teegarden. The man died from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash, and his death was ruled an accident, .

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7476994 2026-04-07T15:16:45+00:00 2026-04-07T15:16:45+00:00
Commerce City man tried to pass 2 vehicles on I-270 shoulder in crash that killed girlfriend, police say /2026/04/07/commerce-city-vehicular-homicide-crash/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:33:33 +0000 /?p=7476585 The woman found dead during a Commerce City traffic stop in January was fatally injured in an earlier crash when her boyfriend, the driver, hit two vehicles while trying to speed past a semitrailer on the shoulder of Interstate 270, according to court documents.

Brandon Joseph Sargent-Zuniga, 22, hit both the semitrailer and an RV, parked on the shoulder of I-270 with a dead battery, before fleeing the scene, according to his arrest affidavit. The crash injured his girlfriend, identified in the affidavit as 23-year-old Krista Parr, who died as Sargent-Zuniga tried to rush her to the hospital.

Sargent-Zuniga was arrested on March 28 and charged with vehicular homicide by reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, both felonies, according to Adams County court records. He posted a $50,000 surety bail on April 1.

Commerce City police officers responded to the hit-and-run on I-270 near Vasquez Boulevard at about 9:05 p.m. on Jan. 16, according to Sargent-Zuniga’s arrest affidavit. During that investigation, a Colorado State Patrol trooper stopped Sargent-Zuniga near the intersection of East 74th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard for speeding and running a stop sign.

The trooper found a woman unconscious in the car’s back passenger seat, the affidavit stated. Sargent-Zuniga told the trooper his girlfriend, Parr, had been injured in the earlier crash and he was trying to take her to the hospital. She was declared dead at the scene of the traffic stop, the affidavit stated.

Sargent-Zuniga told investigators that another vehicle entered his lane and brake-checked him on I-270, causing him to swerve into the parked RV, according to the affidavit. But cameras from the semitrailer involved in the collision showed Sargent-Zuniga attempting to pass the large truck on the highway’s shoulder, resulting in him striking both the RV and the semitrailer, police said.

Sargent-Zuniga, who was driving a gray sedan, appeared to be racing a blue sedan before the crash, police said in the affidavit.

Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the crash. Sargent-Zuniga denied engaging in any form of road rage, racing or reckless driving, according to the affidavit.

Sargent-Zuniga decided to drive home because he believed it would be faster to take Parr to the hospital in his truck, which was not involved in the crash, than to wait for an ambulance, according to the affidavit. His neighbor helped him move Parr from the damaged sedan to the truck.

At that time, Parr was breathing but unconscious, the neighbor told police in the affidavit.

“Krista was vibrant, creative, and full of love,” . “She had a fiery spirit and an infectious laugh that could light up any room. Wherever she went, joy followed. She was truly the life of the party, always making others smile and laugh. Being around Krista meant warmth, fun, and unforgettable moments.”

Sargent-Zuniga is next scheduled to appear in court on April 22 for a preliminary hearing, court records show.

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7476585 2026-04-07T08:33:33+00:00 2026-04-07T08:33:33+00:00
Man arrested after body found in car during Commerce City traffic stop /2026/03/31/commerce-city-fatal-crash-body/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:27:35 +0000 /?p=7470513 A 22-year-old man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of vehicular homicide after law enforcement found a body in his car during a Commerce City traffic stop in January, police said.

A Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled Brandon Joseph Sargent-Zuniga over for speeding on Jan. 16 and found a woman dead in the passenger seat, according to a news release from the .

Investigators believe Sargent-Zuniga was racing down Interstate 270 earlier that night when he crashed into a parked RV, . The man’s passenger, a woman who has not been publicly identified, was injured in the crash.

Sargent-Zuniga fled the scene, went home, switched vehicles and tried to take the woman to the hospital, but she died from her injuries before they arrived, police said. That’s when the trooper pulled Sargent-Zuniga over and found her body.

Sargent-Zuniga faces two felony charges: vehicular homicide by reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, according to Adams County court records. A warrant was issued Friday for Sargent-Zuniga’s arrest on those charges, and the man was arrested Saturday, court records show.

He will next appear in court on Wednesday for a setting hearing, according to court records. As of Tuesday afternoon, he was being held at the Adams County Detention Center in Brighton on a $50,000 bail, .

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7470513 2026-03-31T14:27:35+00:00 2026-03-31T15:03:06+00:00
Police search for hit-and-run driver in Denver crash /2026/03/26/denver-crash-hit-and-run/ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:27:59 +0000 /?p=7465809 A scooter rider was injured Friday night in a Denver hit-and-run, and investigators are searching for the vehicle involved, police said.

The unidentified rider was hit near 15th and Market streets by a black 2018 Nissan Maxima with Colorado license plate CYW-Y89 about 8:45 p.m. Friday, .

The driver, believed to be a white woman with blonde hair, fled the scene and was last seen driving south on Auraria Parkway, the alert stated. Police believe the car has damage to the driver’s side rear door.

Anyone with information about the incident or the car involved is asked to contact the Denver Police Department at 720-913-6010.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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7465809 2026-03-26T09:27:59+00:00 2026-03-28T13:20:34+00:00