n the end, it was anything but typical.
But the start of a wild, high-speed and high-risk chase late Thursday night started innocently enough.
A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy came upon a suspicious pick-up truck in a construction zone near I-70 & Evergreen Parkway, along Hotel way.
With recent thefts in those zones, deputies have been told to make extra surveillance patrols.
After running the plate, the deputy found it was stolen out of a recent armed robbery in Topeka, Kansas.
He and another deputy went to make a felony arrest, when the suspect fired a shot.
"The potential for danger is always there," Jim Shires, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said.
While he missed, that shot triggered a potentially dangerous, multi-jurisdictional trek up and down I-70.
The inital deputy stayed at the shooting scecne, unhurt while back-up officers joined the pursuit.
The suspect first went east on I-70 for three miles, then got off at the Lookout Mountain exit, turned around and headed back west.
By now, he was going over 100 miles per hour.
15 miles later spike strips were deployed by an Idaho Springs cop, in one lane of I-70 and the pickup had its passenger-side tires deflated as a result.
After the pickup took exit 238 in Clear Creek County and one deputy performed a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver to force the vehicle into a spin. A second deputy rammed the pickup head on, to prevent the suspect from escaping.
"We think what happened was that the suspect was temporarily knocked unconscious," Shires said.
Deputies arrested the driver and recovered a handgun from the vehicle.
The suspect was identified as Jacob Anthony Avila, 22. He is being held for investigation of criminal attempted murder of a police officer and on charges from Kansas.
Avila and the deputy who rammed the pickup were treated and released at St. Anthony's Central Hospital.
Despite the high speeds and the damage to two sheriff's vehicles, a spokesman says the chase was necessary, after considering factors such as traffic, road conditions and weather.
"But also what started that pursuit, and that is paramount in this regard. Because, our suspect had already fired a weapon, at a deputy in an attempt to kill him. And we needed to get him no matter what. And we did that," Shires said.
Shires says they are fortunate no one else was hurt, including the deputy that was shot at.
"All of our deputies, when they're faced with that situation they feel very fortunate and lucky that they are still alive. But it's not going to prevent them doing their job," Shires said.
As for the deputy hurt in the head-on collision, Shires says he is a SWAT officer but has been placed on light duty assignments while he recovers from a lower back injury.
But the start of a wild, high-speed and high-risk chase late Thursday night started innocently enough.
A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy came upon a suspicious pick-up truck in a construction zone near I-70 & Evergreen Parkway, along Hotel way.
With recent thefts in those zones, deputies have been told to make extra surveillance patrols.
After running the plate, the deputy found it was stolen out of a recent armed robbery in Topeka, Kansas.
He and another deputy went to make a felony arrest, when the suspect fired a shot.
"The potential for danger is always there," Jim Shires, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said.
While he missed, that shot triggered a potentially dangerous, multi-jurisdictional trek up and down I-70.
The inital deputy stayed at the shooting scecne, unhurt while back-up officers joined the pursuit.
The suspect first went east on I-70 for three miles, then got off at the Lookout Mountain exit, turned around and headed back west.
By now, he was going over 100 miles per hour.
15 miles later spike strips were deployed by an Idaho Springs cop, in one lane of I-70 and the pickup had its passenger-side tires deflated as a result.
After the pickup took exit 238 in Clear Creek County and one deputy performed a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver to force the vehicle into a spin. A second deputy rammed the pickup head on, to prevent the suspect from escaping.
"We think what happened was that the suspect was temporarily knocked unconscious," Shires said.
Deputies arrested the driver and recovered a handgun from the vehicle.
The suspect was identified as Jacob Anthony Avila, 22. He is being held for investigation of criminal attempted murder of a police officer and on charges from Kansas.
Avila and the deputy who rammed the pickup were treated and released at St. Anthony's Central Hospital.
Despite the high speeds and the damage to two sheriff's vehicles, a spokesman says the chase was necessary, after considering factors such as traffic, road conditions and weather.
"But also what started that pursuit, and that is paramount in this regard. Because, our suspect had already fired a weapon, at a deputy in an attempt to kill him. And we needed to get him no matter what. And we did that," Shires said.
Shires says they are fortunate no one else was hurt, including the deputy that was shot at.
"All of our deputies, when they're faced with that situation they feel very fortunate and lucky that they are still alive. But it's not going to prevent them doing their job," Shires said.
As for the deputy hurt in the head-on collision, Shires says he is a SWAT officer but has been placed on light duty assignments while he recovers from a lower back injury.
