El Paso County approves $400,000 settlement related to injuries from 2019 high-speed chase
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A former Colorado Springs Police Officer, could soon be getting more than $400,000 in a settlement with El Paso County related to injuries he sustained during a high-speed chase.
On Tuesday, the El Paso County Commissioners approved a $412,644.52 settlement with Steven Wren after he filed a federal lawsuit against the county in 2022. The lawsuit claimed he was significantly injured from a high-speed chase initiated by multiple El Paso County Sheriff Deputies. In his lawsuit complaint, Wren argued the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) failed to follow its own pursuit policy and created “an unreasonable risk of danger to those involved and to innocent bystanders.”
The high-speed chase took place on October 18, 2019. El Paso County Sheriff Deputies were following Kaleb Miles, who had been on the run for months and was wanted on outstanding warrants related to armed robberies and carjackings, according to court documents obtained by KRDO13 Investigates.
Wren’s federal lawsuit details the high-speed chase throughout El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs, which led to three multi-car crashes involving Miles, El Paso County Sheriff Deputies, and civilians.
According to the lawsuit, EPSO deputies first spotted Miles speeding down streets and started a pursuit but backed off because of the danger to the public. Miles was then reported stealing gas from cars in a Safeway parking lot. EPSO responded which led to the high-speed chase with cars reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, according to the lawsuit.
Wren claimed in his lawsuit the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) was notified of the chase but declined to join because it “was deemed too dangerous in light of the traffic conditions and speeds involved.”
Yet numerous EPSO deputies continued to pursue Miles leading to multiple crashes. The first happened at the intersection of Barnes Road and Austin Bluffs Parkway when an EPSO lieutenant rammed Miles causing a multi-car crash. Miles was able to get away and the pursuit continued, according to the lawsuit.
The second crash happened near the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and Siferd Road, when another EPSO deputy tried to ram Miles leading to another multi-car accident. Again, Miles was able to get away.
The third crash, involving Wren, happened at the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and North Academy Boulevard. Miles was driving on the wrong side of the road, ran a red light, and hit a car driving through the intersection, colliding with multiple civilian cars and crashing into the driver's side of Wren’s unmarked police car.
Wren, who was on duty for CSPD at the time of the crash, was taken to the hospital with multiple compression fractures in his spine. The lawsuit stated due to his injuries, Wren wasn’t able to return to work as an officer and was forced to medically retire from CSPD at 37 years old.
Wren claimed in the lawsuit that EPSO knew “the pursuit of Miles created dangers and risks to the safety of others but continued the pursuit anyways,” violating the agency’s own pursuit policy. The lawsuit said an EPSO deputy even said Miles was “driving at high rates of speed which were dangerous and a risk to law enforcement and the public.”
The EPSO’s pursuit policy at the time was to “weigh the importance of apprehending suspects who unlawfully flee from law enforcement against the risks associated with vehicle pursuits.” Wren argued in his lawsuit that EPSO did not weigh the risks associated with the pursuit of Miles and continued to break the policy during the pursuit, including using unmarked cars, having more than 10 vehicles in the pursuit when the policy only calls for three, and driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.
“As a result of Defendants’ respective breaches of the duties of care, they owed Mr. Wren, as well as Defendants’ respective willful and wanton conduct, Mr. Wren suffered injuries, damages, and losses, including severe injuries that ended Mr. Wren’s career,” the lawsuit stated.
According to the settlement approved Tuesday by the El Paso County Commissioners, the county’s insurance company, Intact, will pay $250,000, while the county will pay the remaining $162,644.52. This is the fifth settlement of more than $25,000 that El Paso County has paid out in the last year. Those five settlements total more than $3.65 million dollars.
Both El Paso County and Wren’s attorney declined to comment about the settlement until it was formally approved by a judge and signed off by both parties.
