Driver arrested after leading deputies on chase in Monument

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of leading deputies on a chase in Monument.

Deputies arrested 19-year-old Branden Crum around 2:30 Friday afternoon in the Monument area.

Crum is charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, second degree assault, vehicular eluding and vehicle assault.

It all started early Friday morning when deputies were patrolling in Fox Run Regional Park on Stella Drive. They tried to stop a male and female in a blue Ford Explorer who were in the park after hours.

When the deputies approached them, the driver of the Explorer accelerated toward the patrol cars, the sheriff’s office said. The deputies had to veer off the road to avoid getting struck by the driver.

The deputies followed the vehicle until they lost sight of it near Mt. Herman Road and Nursery Road. The vehicle was found abandoned a short time later in the area of Schilling Avenue and Lindbergh Road.

The passenger contacted the sheriff’s office and is not considered a suspect.

Officers with the Monument Police Department assisted the sheriff’s office in this case.