Driver, Pregnant Passenger In Custody Following Stolen Vehicle Pursuit, Rollover Crash
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado State Patrol trooper used his cruiser's front end to topple a stolen Jeep near downtown Evergreen late Saturday afternoon. A 20-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were taken into custody at the scene, according to a CSP spokesman. The pair was taken taken to a hospital with what were thought to be minor injuries.
As of Sunday, the woman, who is pregnant, is still in the hospital. CSP's Ivan Alvarado said investigators are unsure of the exact extent of her injuries but they are not believed to be serious. It is also unknown to investigators how far along she is in her pregnancy.
The male driver is now behind bars in Jefferson County's jail.
CSP's trooper was taken to the hospital for precautionary evaluation and released.
CSP's Alvarado said the Jeep was stolen out of Denver. The driver escaped a Jefferson County deputy who tried to pin the Jeep into place with a department cruiser but the Jeep was driven through the attempt, damaging JeffCo's car. For this, an assault charge may be added to the driver's eluding and vehicle theft charges, Alvarado said.
A Jefferson County spokerperson told CBS4 that no deputies were injured in the encounter and damage to their vehicle was minor.
CSP took over pursuit of the stolen Jeep at that point and eventually performed a PIT (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver in Evergreen. The Jeep came to rest on its side next to a "Welcome To Evergreen" sign.
CSP's cruiser sustained considerable damage.
Highway 74 in Evergreen was closed for almost two hours during the investigation and clean-up of the accident.
This story will be updated with the identity of the driver and a list of arrest charges when that information is made available.