Suspect in Colorado police chase shot at Aurora officers, blocked patrol cars, department says
A police chase that began early Wednesday in Aurora ended with two people in custody after officers used a PIT maneuver to stop their vehicle along Interstate 25 near Arapahoe Road, authorities said.
Aurora police said the incident started around 1:30 a.m. when officers responded to a felony menacing call near 32nd Avenue and 32nd Place. Officers began following a red pickup truck eastbound on Colfax Avenue toward Interstate 225 when a white truck entered the chase area and tried to block them from reaching the initial suspect's car.
The chase continued south on I-225, where police said a man in the white truck began shooting at officers. Near Arapahoe Road, officers performed a PIT maneuver, causing the white truck to flip.
Two occupants from the white truck were taken to a hospital with minor injuries and are now in custody. Police said a gun was recovered from the truck.
No officers were injured during the pursuit. Police are still searching for the suspects and the red truck involved in the initial felony menacing incident and have not yet identified them.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Aurora Police Department or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
In an afternoon news conference, Aurora police officials provided updates on what happened that morning.
The initial call for the felony menacing charge came in around 1:30 a.m. near Sable Boulevard and East Colfax Avenue. Responding officers found a vehicle matching the description of the suspects' vehicle from the 911 call, and a sergeant authorized a pursuit.
Once that car got on southbound I-225, the white truck joined the chase, with the driver positioning himself between the red truck and the pursuing officers.
The driver of the white truck, later identified as 31-year-old Aaron Wallace of Lakewood, fired at least three shots out the driver's side window at officers, according to APD officials. The PIT maneuver was authorized on the white truck, and it flipped over onto its roof.
Wallace and a female passenger attempted to flee the area on foot but were both apprehended by Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies.
"I would like to say, first and foremost- commend the officers who were involved in this particular incident," Aurora Police Division Chief Kevin Barnes said at that news conference. "They showed exceptional bravery and courage in the face of extreme danger. They reacted exactly in the way in which we trained them to and I have nothing but words of praise and admiration for them."
A .40 caliber handgun with an "extended high-capacity magazine" was recovered from the scene, police say.
Wallace will face, "at a minimum," first-degree attempted murder, police said. He's still in the hospital. Police officials said he might face additional charges as well.
Police officials said Wallace has a violent criminal history. Court records show that, in 2019, he pleaded guilty to felony menacing with a weapon in Adams County in exchange for the dropping of additional charges, including attempted assault on a peace officer, two additional charges of felony menacing with a weapon, and other related charges. Last week, an arrest warrant was issued against him for failure to appear in court for a hearing on that case.
The passenger was only identified as a 21-year-old woman. Investigators say she's been released from the hospital and is cooperating with police. They don't anticipate filing any charges against her.
You can watch the full news conference here:
