A wrong-way driver drove into oncoming traffic on Interstate 25 northbound for over 30 miles before being killed in a head-on crash near Speer Boulevard downtown Sunday morning.

The driver, who Colorado State Patrol says they first encountered near Mead, was in a grey Chrysler van and eluded deputies, according to 9News and a news release from CSP.

Four people in the vehicle the driver crashed into near Speer Boulevard were taken to the hospital in the incident, according to 9News.

At approximately 2:59 a.m., a Colorado State Patrol Trooper on northbound I-25 near milepost 243, close to Mead, encountered a grey Chrysler van traveling southbound in the northbound lanes, according to the release.

According to state patrol, the van nearly struck the trooper, who then attempted to initiate a traffic stop as the vehicle continued southbound. Despite the trooper’s emergency lights, the van failed to stop, the release said.

Colorado State Patrol says it made efforts to coordinate with other agencies to intercept the vehicle; however, these attempts were unsuccessful.

The agency said that given the escalating risk to public safety, a supervisor directed the trooper to discontinue the pursuit. Information, including a description of the Chrysler van, was relayed to surrounding law enforcement agencies, according to CSP.

In a post on X, DPD explained that officers responded to a crash scene near the 20th Street exit at approximately 3:54 a.m. The crash involved two vehicles. One person was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four others were taken to the hospital, including three with serious injuries and one with minor injuries, police said in a 5:45 a.m. update.

CDOT cameras showed traffic flowing as of 11 a.m. but motorists are advised to take alternate routes, if possible. 

DPD is currently investigating the crash. Colorado State Patrol says it will conduct an administrative review of this pursuit in accordance with agency policy.

For more on this story and others, please visit The Denver Gazette’s news partner 9NEWS.