LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The man accused of running a red light at a busy Lakewood intersection and colliding with another car – killing the two people inside – has been charged with 20 counts, according to a news release from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
William Jokay-Szliagji is charged two counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of first-degree assault, four counts of vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft, second-degree assault on a peace officer, and possession of a controlled substance. As of Thursday, the 27-year-old remained in the hospital for injuries he sustained in the crash, and is currently being held on a $1 million bond, the release says.
Prosecutors said Lakewood Police first encountered Jokay-Szliagji during the early morning hours of May 19. According to the release, officers were called to 12350 W. Nevada Pl. following a report of a suspicious person, and found a Toyota 4-Runner in the parking lot with the engine running.
Next, officers said they saw a man clad in all black running up to the vehicle. According to the release, that man ignored law enforcement when they told him to stop, and backed into a police cruiser.
That driver, the release says, alternated between hitting the fence behind him and the patrol vehicle before he broke free, leaving a Lakewood Police agent injured.
According to the release, officers lost sight of the vehicle and it turned off its lights as it left the parking lot.
It was apparently headed in the direction of Alameda Parkway.
Just minutes later, two Lakewood police agents in the area of West Alameda Parkway and South Kipling Parkway watched the 4-Runner speed through the intersection, run a red light, and collide with a Nissan that was headed southbound, the release says.
Jacob Bowen, the 26-year-old driving the Nissan, and his passenger, 30-year-old Jesse Edmonds, were killed in the crash. Both victims lived in Kansas, Lakewood Police said last week.
Two of Jokay-Szilagji’s female passengers in the 4-Runner were injured, the release says. It’s unclear if they will face any charges in the incident.
Jokay-Szilagji will appear in court once he is well enough to be released from the hospital.
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