Robbery Suspect Fatally Shot By Police After Pursuit, Crash & Carjacking
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) -- Denver Police Department officers chased a robbery suspect into Aurora Saturday night and eventually shot the man. The suspect crashed into several civilian vehicles and carjacked two others in his attempt to escape capture.
The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead, according to a spokesperson with the Aurora Police Department.
That spokesperson said DPD officers began pursuing the armed robbery suspect into Aurora at approximately 8:54 p.m.
A Denver PD spokesman confirmed that the suspect was under surveillance at the time by DPD officers, and was wanted on multiple armed robberies warrants in their jurisdiction. The suspect fled in a vehicle as officers attempted to make an arrest.
Minutes later, at Interstate 225 and East Colfax Avenue, the suspect carjacked a silver sedan and drove east to Airport Boulevard, then turned north and drove against traffic in the southbound lanes of Airport. DPD officers successfully used their cruisers to spin-out the suspect's sedan in the 2400 block of Airport Boulevard.
The suspect and two other persons inside the stolen sedan ran away from the scene, attempted to carjack a minivan, then successfully carjacked an SUV.
By this time, however, DPD officers were able to surrounded that SUV with their own cruisers and pin in place between them.
It was during this encounter that a Denver officer fired his weapon into the suspect's vehicle and fatally injured the suspect.
No other people of officers involved in the incident suffered injuries.
Spokespersons from both police departments confirmed Saturday morning that the other two occupants of the suspect vehicle were taken into custody. One is a woman who has been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery.
The remaining occupant of the vehicle was a juvenile male. Police say he was arrested on unrelated active criminal warrants. Charges are pending against him.
Many witnesses have to be brought in to review photo line-ups but may need to recover from the trauma of the events.
"There were so many victims and so many cars 'jacked," Aurora PD's Crystal McCoy told CBS4. "I'm sure they were all shook up."
The identity of the deceased suspect will be released by the Adams County Coroner's Office once notifications to family have been completed.
Personnel from the Denver and Aurora police departments and the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office (Adams and Broomfield counties) are investigating the incident. The DA's Office will conduct a review of police actions.
Witnesses to any part of the incident or people who may have information about those involved are asked to call Aurora PD's investigators at (303) 739-6213.
