Carjacking Suspect Leads Police On Chase, Crashes Into Tree

DENVER (CBS4)- A carjacking suspect led police on a wild chase through the streets of Denver on Thursday afternoon but the chase came to an abrupt end when the suspect crashed into a tree.

Police said the pursuit began when they saw the suspect driving a cherry red Chevy Tahoe with custom rims that had been stolen from the Family Trucks and Vans car dealership on South Broadway. Investigators said the SUV had been stolen earlier by gunpoint.

The suspect, described as a young Hispanic male, had been on the lot earlier in the day looking at the same SUV.

"When you've got somebody that's armed you're not sure what their motivation is, so you don't want to take a chance of having an armed individual, who just stole a car at gunpoint, loose," said Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson.

Officers gave chase through the streets of Denver in the middle of rush hour, zig-zagging through streets until the suspect crashed into a tree and tried to run away from officers. No one was hurt in the crash.

Police tackled him after the suspect hopped a fence and then took him into custody. He was arrested but his identity has not been released because police believe he may be connected to other crimes.