Colorado authorities alert public to look for car that injured pedestrian, drove away
The Denver Police Department asked the public for help locating a gray Ford Mustang on Saturday following an early morning collision between the car and a pedestrian. The car left the scene.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation took DPD's search state-wide with a Medina Alert, sending the car's descriptions to Colorado travelers via overhead highway signs.
Shortly after 2 p.m., CBI indicated the vehicle had been located. Denver PD followed with a message that it had taken the vehicle into possession and was in contact with its driver. The department has not replied to an inquiry asking whether that driver is in custody.
DPD first posted on social media about the crash at 12:30 a.m. The Mustang struck the pedestrian near Santa Fe Drive's interchange with Interstate 25. The unidentified pedestrian suffered serious injuries. The ramp from southbound I-25 to Santa Fe was closed during the response and investigation.
The 2015 model Mustang was believed to have a Colorado license plate: CZDW34.
The Medina Alert system is in its 10th year. It is named after 21-year-old Jose Medina. Medina was a valet driver for an establishment a block away from the CBS News Colorado studio when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2021. A taxi driver witnessed the crash and followed the offending car and driver, and gave police the vehicle's license plate. That driver was captured and eventually sentenced to 12 years in prison for Medina's death.
RELATED: Statewide hit & run alerts become law (2014)
When signed into law, the Medina Alert system was the first of its kind in the country.