Officer Injured Along Colorado Classic Route
DENVER (CBS4)- A police officer in Denver was injured while trying to stop some motorcyclists from crossing into the Colorado Classic bike race on Saturday evening.
The officer was struck by a motorcycle after its rider lost control of the motorcycle.
BREAKING: Denver PD officer possibly injured, after motorcyclist allegedly looses control of bike. Witness said bike flew, striking officer pic.twitter.com/mxhPKFfHxk
— Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) August 12, 2017
The officer was injured along Speer Boulevard near Zuni and rushed to the hospital along with a motorcyclist. The officer's condition is unknown but police did confirm there were no life-threatening injuries.
#Alert (1/2): Officer hit & injured after trying to stop 4 motorcycles riding on closed Colorado Classic race route. Officer & motorcyclist pic.twitter.com/DJ9YzjECi7
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 12, 2017
#Alert (2/2): ...taken to hospital. A 2nd motorcyclist was taken into custody at 32nd/Federal. Incident remains under investigation. #Denver
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 12, 2017
Denver Police said other motorcyclists who were with the injured biker sped away from the scene. A second motorcyclist was taken into custody at 32nd and Federal Boulevard.
"Our road closures are as solid as the people who are able to monitor them," said Ben Davis, spokesperson for the Colorado Classic. "Vehicles do get out, we expect that to happen. We try and minimize that as much as possible."
The Colorado Classic is a professional bike race – a four stage event in Colorado Springs, Breckenridge, and culminating this weekend with two days in Denver with the Velorama Festival in RiNo. The race features some of the best athletes in professional cycling.
"We are grateful for [the injured officer's] service, and hope everybody is okay. But, [the crash] didn't impact the event, which we are also grateful for," Davis said.
Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.