ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — A man who ran into a Thornton police car after he was found sleeping in a running truck in the middle of the road is on the run after leading Adams County Deputies on a chase, according to agencies investigating the incident.
Around 5 a.m. Friday, an officer with Thornton Police (TPD) spotted a large truck idling in the roadway in the area of East 97th Avenue and Josephine Street. There was an adult man in the vehicle who appeared to be sleeping or passed out, said Jesus Mendez, a spokesperson for the TPD.
That officer ran the plate on the truck and determined that it was stolen. He called for other officers to assist and when they arrived, Mendez said, they approached the truck from one side. As they did so, the driver woke up, recognized the police presence, and put the truck into reverse, Mendez said.
In the process, the suspect sideswiped an officer's vehicle, according to Mendez. There was one officer inside that vehicle, but he was not hurt
The suspect continued backward to York Street, where he hit two civilian cars, which somehow became attached to the truck and were dragged a short distance, Mendez. He said he didn't believe anyone was in those vehicles.
Officers lost sight of the vehicle once the suspect got to York Street, according to Mendez, who said they put out an alert to other agencies to be on the lookout for the truck.
Deputies with the Adams County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) spotted the truck a short time later in the area of East 88th Avenue and Welby Road, a spokesperson for ACSO said. The deputies chased the suspect and the pursuit eventually ended along Interstate 25 near 62nd Avenue when the suspect's vehicle became immobile after he drove up and down an embankment of the highway, that spokesperson said. The suspect was last seen running in the area of 62nd Avenue and Broadway, according to ACSO.
The suspect ran from the area. Deputies set up a perimeter and searched the area but never located the suspect.
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