Two men led Aurora police on a chaotic pursuit in a stolen truck, driving through a church’s landscaping before getting stuck on a garden bed.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Oct. 6. Police say officers spotted a truck that had been reported stolen out of Denver a few days earlier near East Colfax Avenue and North Havana Street.
According to the Aurora Police Department, officers attempted to stop the truck, but the occupants sped off before the traffic stop was initiated. Officers made multiple attempts to safely stop the vehicle, including deploying stop sticks, but those failed.
Footage released by the department shows a mix of dash and body camera video. It shows the truck eventually entering a church parking lot, where the driver took the chase off the road and onto the grass.
The Church
The footage shows the truck driving through church grounds near Del Mar Circle. Police say the suspects drove into a covered pergola before continuing into a garden area. Officers exited their patrol vehicles and shouted at the occupants to get out.
At one point, police say the truck attempted to drive back out of the landscaping, nearly striking two officers in the process. The vehicle eventually came to a stop after police say it became high-centered on a raised garden bed, leaving the suspects with nowhere to go.
With officers’ weapons drawn, the truck’s window was rolled down, and the suspects finally gave up. Officers then removed both suspects from the vehicle and took them into custody.
Two Firearms Recovered
Aurora police say a search of the truck turned up two firearms, one of which had been reported stolen. Police did not release the identities of the two men arrested.
Both suspects are facing probable cause charges of motor vehicle theft, attempted vehicular homicide, felony eluding, possession of a weapon by a previous felony offender, and theft.
Under Colorado law, vehicular eluding can be charged as a felony when the driver knowingly attempts to flee a pursuing officer while driving recklessly. The offense is generally a class 5 felony but can become a class 4 if the eluding results in bodily injury or death.
There was no mention of the extent of damage that was caused by the suspects as a result of the pursuit.
The department credited teamwork and the use of tools such as the stop sticks that helped bring the pursuit to an end while limiting the danger to the public.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.