Lengthy pursuit through Pueblo ends in an officer-involved shooting along I-25
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Three people connected to an attempted bank robbery are in custody after leading police on a pursuit through Pueblo.
According to the Pueblo Police Department, a dark-colored Ford F350 was used to try and steal an ATM from the Sunflower bank on the southside of the city at 7:47 a.m. During the incident, police say the suspect fired a rifle at a witness in the area.
Officers arrived at the scene and were able to find the truck and began a brief pursuit. However, officers terminated the pursuit due to excessive speeds in a residential area and failure to obey traffic signals. Police later determined the truck was stolen.
At 3:30 p.m., police say officers found the stolen truck driving in the area of W. Pueblo Blvd. and Lake Ave. They eventually found the truck stopped in the parking lot of a business in the area.
While officers were establishing a perimeter, PPD says the occupants of the vehicle were able to escape. Nearby civilians told police the suspects had carjacked a 70-year-old female in a parking lot of a business across the street.
The suspects then led officers on a pursuit through Pueblo for approximately 20 minutes. According to police, officers tried to end the pursuit with stop sticks but they were ineffective.
As officers continued the pursuit, the suspects pointed at least one firearm out the window and began firing rounds at officers while driving. According to the PPD, one officer returned fire.
The suspect vehicle continued south of Pueblo to mile marker 86 where a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuver was used to disable the vehicle and the pursuit ended.
At 4:50 p.m., the Colorado Department of Transportation reported Exit 87, Verde Road, was closed to traffic. This remained closed for several hours.
Shortly after, CDOT reported a second closure along southbound I-25 near Abriendo Ave. PPD said Abriendo Ave. to McCulley Ave. was closed to process evidence. The lanes reopened at 6:10 p.m.
Three people were taken into custody. According to police, two occupants of the suspect vehicle suffered injuries and were taken to a local hospital. A third occupant was not injured. Police say no officers were injured.
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office will handle the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. According to the PPD, the officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave.
