Colorado Springs man admits to using PIT maneuver to force another car off the road
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs man faces multiple charges after he admitted to investigators that he intentionally forced another vehicle off the road, causing it to flip.
On Thursday, at 7 p.m., the Chaffee County Communications Center received a call of a rollover accident along northbound Highway 285 near MM 135.
The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) responded and found a green sedan upside down on the east side of the highway. According to CCSO, a passerby helped the driver get out of the vehicle before crews arrived at the scene.
Investigators learned a second vehicle was involved in the crash. That red sedan was found sitting on the southbound shoulder of the highway.
According to the sheriff's office, this accident was not an accident, it was intentional. The CCSO determined the driver of the red sedan was driving northbound on Hwy, 285 behind the green sedan, the victim's vehicle.
The suspect in the red sedan admitted to deputies that the green sedan wouldn't get out of his way. After several attempts to get the victim to move, the suspect used a PIT maneuver - something police use to disable vehicles in high-speed chases - and forced the victim off the road causing their vehicle to flip.
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect claimed he had to use the restroom badly and needed the victim off the road.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old David Michael Whitcomb of Colorado Springs, was taken arrested and taken to the Chaffee County Detention Facility. Whitcomb is being held on a $5,000 cash bond with the stipulation of no driving.
Whitcomb was charged with the following:
- Reckless Driving Misdemeanor Traffic
- 2nd Degree Assault Felony 4
- 2nd Degree Assault Felony 4
- Criminal Mischief Felony 4
While the victim's vehicle did flip, no injuries were reported in the crash.
