NUNN, Colo. — An employee who took a company work vehicle without permission and then sideswiped a train as he attempted to evade law enforcement has been taken into custody.
The vehicle was reported stolen by a business in the town of Wellington in Larimer County around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. According to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, a caller reported that the man was leaving the worksite in the 5800 block of East County Road 66 in a company vehicle and reported that he was possibly intoxicated.
That caller also said the man struck a gate as he left the property and was last seen headed east on County Road 66.
A spokesperson for the Weld County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said the man was authorized to drive the vehicle but did not have permission to take it. The vehicle was equipped with a GPS device and it pinged near Highway 85 and 14 in Weld County near the town of Nunn.
It had been at that location for some time, so members of law enforcement suspected it had been abandoned in that area. Ault Police officers approached the vehicle expecting it to be empty and as they did the man tried to drive off, WCSO spokesman Joe Moylan said.
When he did, he sideswiped a train and his vehicle became disabled in the gravel next to the train tracks.
Multiple law enforcement agencies including WCSO, Ault Police, the Colorado State Patrol, and Garden City Police responded and attempted to get the man to surrender.
After negotiating for some time, tear gas was fired into the rear of the vehicle but that had no effect. Eventually, law enforcement breached a rear window, which allowed them to unlock the doors.
They were then able to open the vehicle and pull the man out. He was not armed, according to Moylan.
The man was taken to an area hospital as a precaution and was expected to be transferred to the Larimer County Jail to face motor vehicle theft charges. At last check, he was still in the hospital and had not yet been booked.
The Colorado State Patrol is investigating both the crash in Wellington involving the gate and the second incident with the train.
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