Stolen Semi Driver Identified After Chase, Multiple Crashes
MORGAN COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- The man who stole a semi and then led officers on a chase through two counties has been identified as Christopher Dean Luedtke.
Over the weekend, 11 vehicles were damaged or destroyed as authorities gave chase to the stolen semi truck.
Five people were injured in the tractor-trailer's collisions. Four, including a Fort Morgan police officer, suffered minor injuries. Another person was hospitalized.
The truck was initially stolen from the Sterling area and pursued by Sterling police, according to a news release from the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.
Logan County personnel took over and pursued the semi into Morgan County.
In Fort Morgan, the truck struck a Fort Morgan police cruiser at the intersection of Barlow Road and Riverview Avenue, injuring the officer inside.
The truck reversed course to the west and continued, with police in tow, into Brush. Near Brush Middle School, the semi driver, since identified as Luedtke, 29, attempted to run down a Brush officer. The officer fired his weapon at the driver as the truck rammed and destroyed the unoccupied patrol car.
The truck was driven south on Colorado Avenue and into oncoming lanes of traffic. It struck a car head-on, injuries both people inside.
Continuing through the residential area, the truck then hit another vehicle at Cameron Street and Eaton Street. That car was pushed into a tree and rolled onto its side, coming to rest against a fence and house. The two people inside were also injured.
Finally, Luedtke jumped from the moving semi in the 800 block of Custer Street. The truck crashed into two parked cars and came to rest in a front yard. He ran into a home where he was taken into custody.
Luedtke is facing several charges including attempted first-degree murder.
