LITTLETON, Colo. — Two Littleton Police Department (LPD) officers sustained minor injuries after they were involved in crashes during the pursuit of a suspect in an attempted car theft early Tuesday morning.
Officers took one suspect into custody and were looking for another suspect who escaped on foot after his vehicle, which was stolen, was in two crashes and no longer drivable, LPD says in a news release.
It started at 3:33 a.m., when officers responded to a call of an attempted theft at CARMAX, at 5850 South Broadway, just south of Littleton Boulevard. Surveillance video showed two people trying to steal lockboxes off vehicles that contained keys for the cars, police said.
The suspects tried to run and hide from officers. One suspect, Asianna Buck Elk Thunder, 24, was arrested at the CARMAX, according to the release.
The other suspect drove off in a Kia Optima that was later determined to be stolen out of Denver. Moments later, at 191 E. Orchard Road, the fleeing suspect crashed into a marked LPD patrol car, police said.
Other responding officers pursued the Kia westbound on West Littleton Boulevard until it was determined that officers in the patrol car that was struck were all right. The pursuit was then terminated, police said.
One of the pursuing LPD vehicles failed to navigate a sharp curve where Main Street becomes South Rapp Street and struck a retaining wall.
Two officers involved in the pursuit sustained minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital, according to the release.
The suspect vehicle struck a curb near South Santa Fe Drive and West Main Street. Because the vehicle was no longer drivable, the man got out and escaped on foot, police said.
Buck Elk Thunder was arrested on suspicion of:
- Previous felony warrant for aggravated motor vehicle theft.
- False reporting of identifying information to law enforcement authorities.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Littleton Police at 303-794-1551 and ask to speak to Detective Adam Alderson.
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