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Police Search For Car Thief Who Rammed Police Cruiser

By Kelly Werthmann

DENVER (CBS4) - Police in Denver are searching for a man who rammed a police car with a vehicle and stole a pickup truck.

The ramming incident happened Monday morning during a narcotics-related traffic stop at East 39th Avenue and Peoria Street, and no police officers were hurt.

After the police car was rammed, the driver took off and abandoned the vehicle -- a black pickup truck stolen from Lakewood -- in the Holly Hills Plaza shopping center on the 2100 block of South Holly Street.

At that scene police say the suspect stole a different pickup truck and took off in that vehicle.

"It all happened so fast," said Judy Bernal, who works in the area.

police incident
(credit: CBS)

The truck stolen from the parking lot belongs to one of Bernal's employees.

"She came out to her truck to get something out of her truck and her truck was gone," Bernal said.

police incident
(credit: CBS)

Police described that truck as a white, 1998 model Ford F-250 with an extended cab. The truck has black flames painted on it and a Montana license plate with the following numbers and letters: B4813.

Bernal said the black truck was still running when the driver ditched it.

police
(credit: CBS)

"All of a sudden police came swarming in so we knew something was up," Bernal told CBS4.

James Steil lives across the street from where the white pickup truck was taken. He recalled the moment he saw the many officers arrive to the scene.

"They all got out of their cars and they all had their arms pulled and they were all going up to [the black truck] and they opened the truck and nobody was in there," Steil said.

Investigators said the man they are looking for should be considered dangerous. Anyone who sees the stolen white truck is urged to call 911 right away.

Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now anchors CBS4 Weekend Morning News and reports during the week. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.

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