Fort Carson soldier steps in to help after bus crash, stops suspect from running

A Fort Carson soldier is being hailed a hero for stepping up to help after he witnessed a bus crash along Interstate 25 Monday evening.

Nathaniel Barrett-Frieson was in the car with his wife and newborn baby when they came upon a Greyhound bus on top of a guardrail near South Academy.

When Barrett-Frieson got out of the car to make sure everyone was okay, he quickly realized a man, now identified as Edmundo Arellanes-Audelo, was allegedly threatening passengers with a knife.

“He ended up slipping through one of the broken windows on the bus and he came out and that’s when I saw he had the knife and I told him to drop the knife and move over by some bushes to get some good distance between me and him,” said Barrett-Frieson.

When police arrived on the scene, Barrett-Frieson told police he saw Arellanes-Audelo trying to flee. That’s when he said he pulled out his gun which caused the suspect to drop his knife until police arrived.

Police arrested Arellanes-Audelo without any incident. He is now facing several felony charges. Officials say they are just happy Barrett-Frieson was there to help.

“He was able to get access to the secure area where the bus driver was located. He was trying to attack the bus driver,” said Lisa Schneider, Media Relations Officer for Fountain Police.