Two people believed to be connected to an inmate who escaped custody were shot after a high-speed chase on Monday evening, but the inmate is still at large, according to police.
Undercover officers were surveilling a home in Aurora that was believed to have a connection to Mauricio Venzor-Gonzalez -- the inmate who escaped from custody while at Denver Health Medical Center on Monday morning.
Those officers saw a vehicle leave that home "at a high rate of speed" according to Sgt. John White with the Denver Police Department. It was believed that vehicle, some kind of SUV, was connected to Venzor-Gonzalez.
Officers began to chase that SUV, a chase that ended in a crash at 41st and Albion in northeast Denver. Shots were fired at the end of the chase, striking both suspects in the vehicle. White says at this time it's unclear who fired those shots -- whether it was officers or the suspects.
No officers were injured.
White told media around 8 p.m. he believes the immediate threat for people that area -- around 40th and Colorado -- no longer remains. That intersection of 41st and Albion is still closed.
Both the people in the SUV involved in the crash were taken to the hospital, but Venzor-Gonzalez, 23, remains at large and is still considered armed and extremely dangerous.
White says it's unclear how the suspects are connected to Venzor-Gonzalez, but says that home was under surveillance because of information gathered during Monday's investigation.
The names of the suspects who were shot have not been released, and their conditions have not been made public.
Venzor-Gonzalez was being held for attempted murder after he allegedly shot at a police officer in November following a traffic stop.
Before that, Venzor-Gonzalez was wanted in the suspected kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and their 1-year-old child.
He was last seen wearing a dark green colored uniform with the letters "CCMF," which stands for Correctional Care Medical Facility. It’s a secure ward at the bottom of Denver Health that's staffed by deputies at all times.
Venzor-Gonzalez is described as 5’7” tall and 140 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with any information about Venzor-Gonzalez is urged to contact police.
