2 Thornton Officers Injured After Pursuit
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) – Two suspects are in custody after a bold smash-and-grab break-in at a liquor store on Easter Sunday morning.
The suspects led officers on a chase that ended in a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver. Two police officers were injured in the pursuit.
The burglary of the 8000 Liquor Store on 120th Avenue near Steele Street left security bars bent and glass smashed at the store entrance.
The store owner said the burglar used a stolen pickup to try to rip off the doors. He said thief got away with cash registers and $500 in cash.
A neighborhood resident driving by just before 7 a.m. Sunday saw a pickup truck backed up to the door and called the tip into police.
The witness then followed the suspect vehicle to a nearby fast food drive-through, where police say a second suspect got into the truck.
Officers tried to pull the truck over at 128th Avenue near Quebec Street.
The suspects took off, leading officers on a chase.
Police used a PIT maneuver six miles away at 104th Avenue and Irma Drive to bring the pickup to a stop.
Authorities said the suspects rammed into a police cruiser and then backed up into another cruiser.
"It was a pretty violent scene," said Sgt. Matt Cabot, spokesperson for the Thornton Police Department. "I mean, I'm sure that the officers were probably pretty in fear for their lives, with this humongous pickup truck coming straight at their cars."
Paramedics rushed the two officers who were hit to the hospital for crash-related injuries. The officers were later released.
"We did have a couple of officers that were injured, but thank goodness that they weren't injured worse than they were," said Cabot.
Cabot said the driver, Nathan Wallace, 32, was armed with a stolen handgun. Wallace was arrested on charges including Assault on a Police Officer, Burglary, and Eluding.
The passenger, Richard Arnold, 27, was arrested for outstanding warrants.
A background check showed that Arnold's warrants were connected to previous charges of DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) and Theft dating back to 2013.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.