Couple Feels Lucky After Being Hit By Driver Who Fled From Troopers
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4) - An Evergreen couple says they are lucky to be alive after they were driving on Interstate 70 in the mountains Sunday when out of nowhere they were sideswiped by a driver on the run.
The suspected driver is in custody after a 20 mile high speed chase in the early afternoon that reached speeds of up to 100 mph and lasted for 30 minutes. It started in Denver at about 1 p.m. and ended at Floyd Hill.
Wilbur and Toby Rosendale were entering the westbound lanes of I-70 from the Evergreen Parkway when the driver of a white Chevy Tahoe hit the side of their car and then continued on.
The scrapes on the side of their van are an indication of just how close the call was.
"The car came on the side of us and hit the side and knocked off the mirror and off he sped," Toby told CBS4.
The Rosendales then sped up in an effort to try to get the license plate number from the suspect vehicle. As they were doing so, they were pulled over.
Troopers eventually pulled over the car of the suspect, performing a pit maneuver -- a forced crash -- to get the SUV to finally stop.
"We had a couple calls that talked about this vehicle making unsafe lane changes, speeding and some other road rage type thing," Colorado State Patrol spokesman Nate Reed said.
Officers with the Colorado State Patrol arrested Cesar Rodriguez-Flores, 26, of Georgia. He was taken to a Denver hospital and then to the Jefferson County Jail. Troopers say he has only minor injuries.
No one besides Rodriguez-Flores was hurt.
