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One dead, 4 injured after driver fleeing traffic stop crashes in Longmont

One person was killed and four others were injured after a driver fleeing a traffic stop crashed into multiple vehicles in Longmont Tuesday morning, according to the Longmont Police Department.

Police said an officer tried to pull over a stolen pickup truck near 10 E. 9th Ave. just before 11 a.m. when the driver sped away. The driver then broadsided an SUV in the intersection of East 9th Avenue and Pace Street, less than a mile down the road.

The driver of the SUV, a 93-year-old man from Longmont, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The SUV was going south down Pace Street when the suspect crashed into it, causing the SUV to rollover.

A third vehicle, a Subaru, was also struck, police said. The driver of the Subaru, a 62-year-old ride share driver, and the passenger, a 19-year-old customer, were both injured and taken to a hospital.

The suspect, a 37-year-old man, and his passenger, a 36-year-old woman, were also injured in the crash. They are currently hospitalized. Police said they will arrest the suspect as soon as he is released.

Deputy Chief Jeff Satur said police intend to charge the driver with vehicular homicide and are considering charging him with first-degree murder under extreme indifference.

“We have charged that before in cases similar to this,” Satur said. “Essentially, I would liken it firing a gun through an intersection. It’s extremely dangerous and that’s what this person did today.”

The suspect was not being chased by police at the time of the crash, Satur said. The officer who attempted the traffic stop was in a marked police vehicle and did not pursue the suspect after he fled.

“Our officers immediately disengaged,” Satur said. “We’ve had a lot of cars allude from us. We’re not pursuing stolen cars because this is the tragedy that can result in a pursuit. We were not pursuing in this case.”

This crash comes only two days after two bystanders were killed in Brighton when a suspect crashed into another vehicle and a pedestrian while fleeing police. That incident also began with an officer attempting to pull over a stolen vehicle.

The investigation into Thursday’s crash is ongoing. Police said they are exploring whether alcohol or drugs were involved, in addition to investigating how fast the suspect was going. Satur said the suspect was traveling at a “very, very high speed,” though police do not yet have specific estimates.

Anyone with video of the crash is asked to contact the Longmont Police Department at 303-651-8501.

The identities of the deceased victim and the suspect will be released by police at a later date.

Police officers shot a man in Eaton this morning. (Getty Images)
Police officers shot a man in Eaton this morning. (Getty Images)


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