Neighbors Say Suspect In Thanksgiving Hit & Run Slept Outside Their Homes
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Residents in a southeastern Fort Collins neighborhood say a 19-year-old wanted suspect was sleeping outside their homes in a stolen truck, with stolen guns, moments before he killed two innocent people. Marcos Orozco was arrested by Fort Collins police shortly after he barreled through the intersection of Harmony Road and Boardwalk Drive on Thanksgiving Day.
He allegedly killed a man from Iowa and his daughter as a result of the crash. The crash happened just hours after Orozco and an unidentified second suspect used a stolen truck to smash in to a pawn shop, stealing multiple guns.
Residents near Arctic Fox Drive and Caribou Drive told CBS4's Dillon Thomas they woke up on Thanksgiving to police running through their neighborhood with guns drawn.
"It was the craziest thing I've ever witnessed," said Brady Strange, a witness to police contacting Orozco.
Strange said police were carrying long guns and taking shelter behind cars as they approached the stolen truck. Strange said one of his neighbors called 911 to report the suspicious vehicle after finding a reportedly unconscious driver with guns in the vehicle.
When police arrived, they attempted to make contact with Orozco. Witnesses said a SWAT vehicle was brought in to assist in the contact.
"Once I saw the police moving this (down the street), I sent my kids down to the basement," said Douglas Carr, a witness. "(Police were) saying, 'Just come out, hands up. You're under arrest.'"
"I snapped a picture (as police approached.) And, then, as I was looking, I looked out this window here, and I saw the SWAT truck posted up," Strange said.
Both Carr and Strange recalled the SWAT vehicle hitting the suspect's stolen truck several times.
However, moments later, Orozco allegedly attempted to evade police.
"I saw his brake lights first," Strange said. "Then he puts it in reverse, tries to pull around the SWAT truck."
Both witnesses told CBS4 the suspect's vehicle was able to turn away from the SWAT vehicle. Both recalled the SWAT vehicle crashing in to the passenger side of the stolen truck, before allowing it to drive away.
Days after the event, broken glass and tire marks remained, where the stolen truck burned rubber in an attempt to get away.
Witnesses said the truck eventually drove through a yard, between a home and tree. Witnesses confirmed police reports, that Fort Collins police did not chase the suspect.
Police say Orozco later crashed through a busy intersection, killing two people. A father, from Iowa, and his daughter, a Fort Collins resident.
"Thanksgiving, of all days," Strange said. "He was able to get away and kill two people."
Witnesses said they were heartbroken to hear innocent people lost their lives as a result of something that stemmed, in part, from their neighborhood. However, they also said they were glad nothing more happened to their neighbors, as a result of the suspect's actions.
"(It was) a little unnerving, that he was here all night with all the guns, just sitting outside," Strange said.
Fort Collins police said Orozco faces several charges for his involvement in the theft of the truck, the pawn shop robbery and evading police. However, at the time this article was posted, he was not yet charged with the deaths of those killed in the crash.
Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.
