Denver Sheriff's Deputy Assaulted, Suspect Injured In Getaway Crash

DENVER (CBS4) - A man assaulted a Denver sheriff's deputy early Saturday morning, fled the scene and then crashed into another car after a short pursuit, police said.

The suspect assaulted the deputy at a Denny's restaurant near 17th Avenue and Federal Boulevard at about 1:45 a.m., according to police.

He then drove away in a white Cadillac and crashed into another car and a wall near the intersection of Federal and Alameda Avenue, flipping his car upside-down. The suspect was injured and transported to a hospital. No one else was hurt.

Police haven't released the suspect's name.

They said the chase started after the deputy attempted to break up a fight between the suspect and another man at the Denny's. One of the men hit the deputy from behind and ran.

"He was doing his job," Simon Crittle with the sheriff's department said. "He was attempting to break up a fight. It's obviously unfortunate that he got assaulted during that time."

Federal south of Alameda was closed for a short time after the crash.

The sheriff's office said it will conduct an internal investigation, per procedure.