3 deputies in northwestern Colorado hurt during police chase, gas theft suspect arrested

A man who is suspected of trying to steal gas from a Colorado gas station is under arrest after authorities say he led police on a chase. Three Moffat County Sheriff's deputies were hurt during the lengthy pursuit. The suspect was identified as Geomar Gomez-Hernandez.

The events began late Thursday morning in the northwestern Colorado town of Craig, according to the Moffat County Sheriff's Office. Police responded to the Maverick gas station on the 700 block of East Victory Way after a report came in about a possible theft of fuel. On the way there, officers spotted the vehicle that was reportedly tied to the alleged theft and tried to pull it over. It was a pickup truck.

The driver of the truck didn't stop and the police backed off. Deputies from the Moffat County Sheriff's Office then attempted to get the pickup truck to pull over, but it led them on a chase on County Road 7, County Road 3 and eventually Highway 13. The sheriff's office said the driver committed multiple reckless maneuvers, including driving more than 20 miles an hour above the speed limit, forcing other cars off the road and driving in the wrong lane. At one point the truck crashed into a ditch but continued on.

When deputies tried to use their vehicles to stop the car, the suspect driver sideswiped one and crashed into another and heavily damaged it. The driver then continued on and the chase finally ended on Highway 13 when another attempt to use patrol cars to stop the suspect vehicle was made and was successful.

Police took Gomez-Hernandez to a medical center to get medical care and then booked him into jail after he received treatment.

Gomez-Hernandez now faces multiple charges.

The three deputies who were hurt in the case were treated and released from the hospital after a few hours.

Earlier this month in a different part of northwestern Colorado several suspects who are suspected of stealing fuel in separate incidents were arrested. So far it's not clear if there is any connection between those cases and this one.