Two killed after suspect crashes during law enforcement pursuit in Clear Creek County
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A suspect and driver were killed after a head-on crash on Highway 6 during a high-speed chase through Clear Creek County on Tuesday afternoon, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) said.
According to CSP, the fatal crash happened just after 2 p.m. on Oct. 14 on Highway 6, just east of Tunnel 6.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) says the incident began when deputies received multiple reports of a man trespassing at the Microtel Hotel in Georgetown on Tuesday morning.
CCSO subsequently learned the man was believed to be involved in at least 25 other car break-ins in Summit and Eagle counties over the past two weeks. In one incident, the man allegedly stole a firearm and ammunition from a car.
Just before 2 p.m., the sheriff's office learned the suspect's vehicle, a Chrysler Town and Country, was spotted in the area of Highway 40 at Floyd Hill.
Clear Creek deputies and Idaho Springs police attempted to pull over the suspect as he turned onto Highway 6, but the man fled westbound, driving the wrong way on the I-70 eastbound off-ramp.
When he began driving the wrong way down I-70, law enforcement stopped following him, CCSO said, as there was virtually no traffic heading eastbound due to an ongoing construction project.
After about half a mile, the suspect turned around, driving towards law enforcement, including a deputy who deployed stop sticks. Despite hitting the stop sticks, the driver continued driving east on Highway 6 with deflated tires, leading law enforcement to begin pursuing him once again.
But shortly after driving through Tunnel 6, CCSO said the suspect lost control of his vehicle, crossing into oncoming traffic and striking a Lexus heading westbound head-on.
The Lexus was pushed off the roadway, rolling before coming to a rest in Clear Creek. The driver, identified as 51-year-old Steven Ainsworth from Arvada, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, CSP confirmed, while a passenger in the suspect's car, a 27-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
CSP said that this was not the only crash tied to the pursuit of the unidentified suspect; Three Jefferson County deputies were also involved in a crash while responding to a Clear Creek County call for assistance in the pursuit.
According to CSP, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) patrol car, leading two other patrol vehicles, struck a raised metal plate in a construction area, causing the car to go airborne.
The other two responding deputies crashed as they attempted to avoid the airborne car. The agency said one deputy hit a concrete barrier and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
CSP and its Vehicular Crime Unit are now investigating both crashes.
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