Denver teen remains hospitalized following crash involving Aurora police pursuit

CBS News

2 days ago

A 16-year-old boy from Denver is still in the hospital, nearly five days after the driver of a stolen truck crashed into a car with four teens inside.
It happened last Saturday evening as Aurora police officers were chasing the stolen truck. That pursuit moved into Denver before ending in Glendale, where the truck collided almost head-on with a teen's car near South Cherry Street and Leetsdale Drive.
"The truck made an impact where my son was sitting," said Ingrid Shea, mother of Kaelen, who remains hospitalized at Denver Health.
Kaelen Shea
Ingrid Shea
Shea explained that her son was sitting in the back passenger seat when the collision happened. Kaelen and his friends had just finished a day-long ultimate frisbee tournament and were on their way to a community pool. Holding back tears, Shea described her son's injuries.
"My son came into the ER with multiple brain bleeds, a broken jaw, and his sinus bones are fractured," she said.
Since he was admitted, Kaelen's parents have barely left his hospital bedside. Along with fear for her son's well-being, Shea is questioning Aurora's pursuit policy, which was updated earlier this year to include stolen vehicles and DUI drivers.
"I don't understand how a 12-minute police chase gets to happen in a populated area for a non-violent crime," Shea said. "That's what's not okay. It's not okay for my family, my child, and it shouldn't be okay for anybody else's."
Aurora police shared a statement about the pursuit-turned-crash with CBS Colorado, which reads in part:
"We know from experience that suspects who drive stolen vehicles are often involved in other criminal activity. If not apprehended, they continue to pose a serious threat to public safety. That's why our officers work every day to stop further victimization and prevent additional harm."
Ingrid Shea
CBS
"I understand all of that," Shea said, "I'm obviously dealing with the ramifications of it."
Still, Kaelen's mother believes something else could've been done to stop the driver of the stolen truck, who could've easily killed her son.
"There could've been four funerals that we were planning Sunday morning," she said, adding the other three teens have minor injuries, but it's still not clear when her child will leave the ICU. "I can't speak to all [Aurora Police] policies, but I think they need to be examined."
As for the driver of the reported stolen truck, 26-year-old Michael Freyta has a lengthy criminal history. He has previously been arrested on charges for motor vehicle theft, ID theft, fraud as well as forgery. Freyta allegedly failed to maintain his status on the sex offender registry for Adams County, too, according to Aurora Police.
Michael Guadalupe Freyta
Aurora Police Department
"This incident was caused by a criminal suspect, Michael Freyta, who was driving a confirmed stolen vehicle and chose not to stop when officers attempted to contact him. His decision to flee, instead of pulling over for our officer, led to this crash," said APD.
"The Aurora Police Department remains committed to holding criminals accountable," they continued. "When individuals like Michael Freyta repeatedly choose to break the law, our responsibility is to act decisively to protect our community from further violence and danger."
The Shea Family has set up a fundraiser to help with their son's medical bills, which will continue to add up as he will likely have future rehab for his traumatic brain injury.