Suspect killed in high-speed chase identified
A carjacking suspect is dead after a high-speed chase Saturday that started in Manitou Springs and ended on State Highway 67 near Divide in Teller County.
State Patrol said Sunday the suspect is 44-year-old Anthony Aurelio of Cripple Creek.
The Colorado State Patrol said the crash happened around 4 p.m. when the suspect drove a stolen car down a steep embankment. The car rolled and landed upside down.
Authorities said they became aware of the suspect just before 1 p.m. Manitou Springs police responded to a domestic disturbance call at 910 Midland Avenue and learned the suspect had assaulted a woman and fled with a BB gun that could have been mistaken for a handgun.
About 30 minutes later, police were notified about a stolen vehicle at a car wash at 1007 Manitou Avenue. The victim said the suspect gave him a note and his wallet and then drove off in the victim’s 1997 Honda Accord.
Police said the suspect’s description matched that of the suspect in the assault on Midland Avenue and issued an all-points bulletin for a possibly armed suspect. Police believe the suspect did not use a gun in the theft.
Moments later, an El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy saw the stolen car on Manitou Avenue. It struck a Manitou police car when the officer tied to stop it, and also hit two parked vehicles.
“We saw the car slam into an SUV that was parked,” John Campbell, a witness, said. “It put the SUV on the sidewalk. He kept going and the cops were right behind him. He went right through the roundabout and there’s a lot of people around there on a Saturday afternoon. I’m surprised someone wasn’t killed or hurt.”
Manitou Springs resident Jerry Lapham saw the start of the chase and was disturbed by Aurelio’s driving pattern.
“He must have been doing 50 miles an hour down the main street,” Lapham said. “There are people crossing the road up and down this place. So, I was like, you’re going to kill somebody. 50 miles an hour down main street is reckless.”
The deputy pursued the suspect westbound on U.S. 24, at which time state troopers began following him.
Troopers pursued the suspect as he turned southbound onto Highway 67. Troopers stopped the pursuit around mile marker 65 due to the winding, dangerous road.
However, Teller County Sheriff’s deputies deployed stop sticks near mile marker 63, which apparently punctured the Honda’s tires. As troopers tried to stop the vehicle again, the car veered off the road and crashed.
The incident remains under investigation.
