ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A semi-truck driver who faces a charge of vehicular homicide is accused of fatally striking a locksmith with his truck after an argument over payment and then continued on to make a scheduled delivery at an Arapahoe County business, court documents say.
Erick Mejia, 31, was being held in the Arapahoe County jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide. His bail was set at $100,000.
Deputies with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene at 1 Digicomm Drive in the Dove Valley area around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. A 55-year-old man was found lying on the ground beside a white passenger van. He died at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
Family members identified him as Guillermo Duran-Mejia.
Investigators determined that the white van belonged to Duran-Mejia and was registered to a locksmith company.
Surveillance video captured some of what happened on camera, the arrest affidavit says. The video showed a white semi-truck sideswiping Duran-Mejia's vehicle and ultimately hitting him. The truck was later seen in the video making a delivery at the same address.
Investigators spoke with staff at the business and were able to identify the semi-truck driver and the company associated with the truck, according to the affidavit. With that information they were able to track the vehicle and contacted Mejia by phone, the affidavit says.
Mejia was told to remain at his current location so that he could meet with an investigator but instead drove south on Interstate 25 toward El Paso, Texas, according to the affidavit.
Fountain Police officers eventually stopped the truck south of Colorado Springs.
When interviewed, Mejia told an investigator that he had called Duran-Mejia for locksmith services and that there was an argument over payment. He said that during the argument, Duran-Mejia ripped up money and struck his semi-truck with an "auto theft prevention device," according to the affidavit.
At the point, Mejia said, he got into his semi. As he was driving away, he turned toward Duran-Mejia's vehicle, the affidavit says. He told investigators that he had moved that way to avoid hitting a tree, according to the document.
He told investigators that he knew he had hit Duran-Mejia's vehicle but did not initially know he had hit the victim. He looked back and saw the victim on the ground, the document says.
Mejia said he walked up to the victim and called 911 but hung up. He said he made a second 911 call about a minute later, then made a delivery to the business and left as deputies arrived, the affidavit says.
He did not attempt to contact medical personal or law enforcement at the scene as he left, the document says.
Mejia is scheduled for a court hearing on Jan. 4 in Arapahoe County.
A Gofundme has been set up to the help the family of Guillermo Duran-Mejia.
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