Police Capture 2 Suspects After Short Pursuit, Linked To Carjackings
DENVER (CBS4) - Police in Denver arrested two suspects after a short pursuit on Friday afternoon. Investigators believe the suspects are those wanted in a series of attempted carjackings earlier in the day.
Investigators believe Jose Manuel Pineda, 27, and Thomas Ross Saiz, 37, are those wanted in a series of attempted carjackings earlier in the day.
Later police told CBS4's Jeff Todd that despite earlier reports, a Nissan Murano was stolen by the suspects during one of the four attempted carjackings.
Police started a pursuit of the suspects around 1st Avenue and Knox Court that quickly made its way to Governor's Park.
"I looked behind me and there was a minivan and it looked like a police car was going to pull him over and then I realized they were both going about 70 mph," said Julie, a witness.
Police SUVs even took to the sidewalks to get around traffic to try to stop the suspect vehicle. The chase even went the wrong way down one way streets.
"Another police truck came another way and cornered him but he cut around and turned left and got away and then I saw about 10 more police cars," said Julie.
Two police cruisers were struck during the chase.
The passenger in the suspect vehicle jumped out near 6th and Washington. Police took him into custody at a nearby restaurant.
Police tweeted updates about the chase because of the large police presence in the area.
The driver was captured just a few blocks away.
"We were able to complete a PIT maneuver which was done at 8th and and Logan," said Denver Police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez.
Police believe the suspects captured on Friday afternoon are linked to four different crimes earlier in the day where two suspects attempted to steal cars. Police said those suspects were considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators told CBS4's Jeff Todd they will conduct photo lineups to determine whether those suspects captured are those wanted in the string of crimes earlier.
Officers had been searching for the stolen silver Nissan Murano with the Colorado license plate 940-JFQ after a Denver homeowner nearly had their car stolen by two people who fired a shot during the attempted theft.
