Man Accused Of Being High On Paint Fumes During Crash Into Auto Lot
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (CBS4) - A man accused of hitting a police car and crashing into an auto dealership while high on paint fumes faces charges of driving under the influence.
Joshua Jerrod Lopez, 22, remains in the hospital in an unknown condition.
The crash damaged more than two dozen new cars at the Arapahoe Kia dealership Thursday morning.
According to police, Lopez, of Aurora, sideswiped a patrol car in the 6800 block of South Clinton Court and then came to a stop in the middle of the street. The officer approached the vehicle to help when Lopez, who appeared to be disoriented, allegedly tried to assault the police officer.
"He thought he had a medical condition and when he went to see if the driver was okay, he took a swing at the officer, hit the gas and took off," said Arapahoe Kia General Manager Dustin Pew.
That's when Lopez accelerated at a high rate of speed and lost control of the car. He ran over the curb and sidewalk and struck a power pole.
The car rolled multiple times into the Arapahoe Kia car dealership located at 9400 East Arapahoe Road and struck four new vehicles on the lot. At least another 20 vehicles were damaged in the rollover by flying debris and rocks with scratches to the paint and cracks in the windshield.
Pew said even with the thousands of dollars in damages, he's just glad no one was hurt.
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