4 days ago
Witness details seeing speeding truck eluding police; ending in a crash injuring 5 people
GLENDALE, Colo. (KDVR) — A witness says they saw the driver of a suspected stolen vehicle speeding away from Aurora police Saturday night before crashing head-on into an uninvolved vehicle in Glendale Saturday evening.
Pictures show the result of the crash that happened near the intersection of South Leetsdale Drive and South Cherry Street.
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The driver refused to pull over, leading officers on a chase through Aurora before stopping in Glendale — where tire marks and car parts are still left on scene.
Edith Perez said she saw the chase moments before the impact.
'I saw videos on YouTube with those chases but living it is super scary,' she said. 'It was super-fast; it was way too fast. I've never seen no one driving that fast in this area.'
Perez said she is still shaken nearly 24 hours after the chase came to an end.
'I went to make groceries at King Soopers across the street,' said Perez. 'As I was leaving, I saw a lot of police. Then after that, I just saw a white truck that was running from police.'
State troopers say the driver in the suspected stolen vehicle, a 2000 Dodge Ram, initially got into a minor crash in Denver while police were pursuing it, before continuing northbound.
Police say that because of the minor crash in Denver, the hood was blocking the view of the driver, who ended up going into oncoming traffic before hitting a Nissan Leaf head-on.
'He was sticking out from the passenger side, and he was looking around to see if he was going to make it or not,' said Perez.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Sherri Mendez said all four passengers in the Nissan Leaf vehicle were transported to the hospital, one had suspected serious bodily injuries. The driver was also taken to the hospital while in custody with non-life-threatening injuries, Mendez said.
The 26-year-old driver, Michael Freyta, was arrested after he was released from the hospital.
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Police say he has a long criminal rap sheet, including arrests for motor vehicle theft, ID fraud, and numerous contacts for failing to maintain his status on the sex offender registry for an Adams District court conviction involving a minor.
Freyta has been charged with a slew of charges in this case, including two counts of vehicular assault, motor vehicle theft, felony eluding, and misdemeanor driving under the influence.
'It was so crazy,' said Perez. 'I don't know, it was so scary. Then, imagining having people crossing by the streets or waiting for the bus, anything would be super tragic.'
CSP is continuing the investigation into the crash, which comes only a few months into APD's new pursuit policy.
So far, there have been nearly 50 chases since the policy went into effect back on March 5, yielding more than 40 arrests.
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