Colorado State Patrol release dashcam and body-worn camera footage of deadly pursuit
OTERO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Wednesday, the Colorado State Patrol released dashcam and body-worn camera footage detailing a pursuit that ended in the suspect crashing and dying.
On June 20 at 10:57 a.m., Colorado State Patrol Troopers responded to assist Otero County Deputies with a suspect running away from them along Highway 50. According to CSP, the suspect vehicle was called in as a "shots fired" call.
CSP said the suspect had already reportedly caused multiple crashes and tried causing head-on crashes with himself and other vehicles.
Troopers performed a tactical vehicle intervention (TVI), stopping the vehicle. Law enforcement then contacted the suspect.
During the arrest, however, the suspect managed to gain access to the front of a fully marked Colorado State Patrol vehicle and took off on Highway 50.
Agencies pursued the suspect in the stolen patrol vehicle while troopers deployed stop sticks further down the highway.
After hitting the stop sticks - CSP said the suspect lost control of the stolen patrol vehicle and crashed into the side of a stopped Commercial Motor Vehicle parked on the side of Highway 50. The stolen patrol vehicle then caught on fire.
The suspect was pulled from the burning vehicle and taken to a hospital, but he ended up dying. The suspect was later identified as Anthony Alphonso Sanchez III
The CMV driver wasn't injured.
The footage released Wednesday shows the initial pursuit of Sanchez. In dashcam footage, a Trooper vehicle is seen using a TVI to hit the back of Sanchez's vehicle, making him spin out and crash.
Once he gets out of his SUV, he gets handcuffed and placed in the back of that same Trooper vehicle.
According to CSP, he was placed there because the other vehicles didn't have a place to put detained individuals.
CSP said it took 90 seconds for Sanchez to maneuver his hands to the front, crawl through the screen window separating the front of the Trooper vehicle and the backseat, and then take off.
The chase picked back up again, which spanned more than 30 miles and 20 minutes. During the chase, the dashboard camera of the stolen Trooper vehicle showed Sanchez weaving in and out of traffic, narrowly missing other vehicles, and driving in the middle of the road. He also managed to avoid the first few attempts to stop him.
Finally - law enforcement can be seen deploying the stop sticks that brought the chase to a halt. From the perspective of the stolen vehicle, it shows the suspect hitting the sticks, losing control, and then going headfirst into the CMV with a flatbed.
Some body-worn camera shows after the crash the CMV had completely flipped onto its side whereas Sanchez ended up on the right side of the road - the front of the vehicle completely crunched up.
Law enforcement is seen trying to put out the fire and get to Sanchez. After pulling out other content of the cruiser, Sanchez is pulled from the wreckage. He wasn't able to get out by himself and had to be pulled out.
Watch a timeline of the events compiled through the CSP video below.
Warning: The video below contains graphic content; including swearing, criminal activity, and a deadly crash. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Colorado Burau of Investigation is the lead agency in this ongoing investigation.
