Demaryius Thomas Arrested On Charges Of Vehicular Assault
DENVER (CBS4) - Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas appeared in court Thursday after he turned himself in to police late Wednesday on felony vehicular assault charges. The charges stem from a Feb. 16 crash in Denver.
Police say Thomas was driving over 70 mph in a 30 mph zone with two people inside when he lost control on Auraria Parkway near 12th Street and rolled the car.
A spokesperson for the Denver Sheriff Department confirmed that Thomas was taken into custody and appeared in court early Thursday afternoon.
The vehicular assault charge is a felony. Two traffic offenses -- reckless driving and no proof of insurance -- have also been filed in the case.
According to police documents, Thomas was speeding at 12:20 a.m. on Auraria Parkway right before the crash. His car went off the road, went over a raised median, wound up in the northbound lanes of 12th Street and then hit a raised median on 12th and "became airborne." The vehicle flew over the southbound lanes of 12th and landed in the grassy area near Speer Boulevard, where it then rolled several times before coming to a stop.
Thomas and a male passenger suffered minor injuries and a female passenger sustained more serious injuries. All three had to be taken to the hospital.
Michael Tafoya, a nurse, was driving for Uber and saw the speeding car strike a median, "When it hit that it pretty much launched itself right up into the air."
"I tried to the pull door open I couldn't get it open… it looked like the car was starting on fire," said Tafoya.
He says the driver and front seat passenger responded as he offered to help, but the woman in the back was silent.
"The back part of the vehicle was crushed and a head was slumped down in the seat that's all I could see," said Tafoya.
The veteran wideout was traded by the Broncos to the Houston Texans in the middle of last season. His next game as a pro -- Nov. 4 -- was back in Denver playing against his old teammates.
Thomas suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Week 16. The Texans released him in mid February.
Thomas was ordered released on a personal recognizance bond, but has not been a good past year for the former Broncos star.