A man from Colorado led police on a fatal high-speed pursuit in one of their own cruisers. The fatal incident occurred on June 20, before bodycam and dashcam footage was released the following week.
In the video, deputies from Otero County are seen initially pursuing an individual, later identified as Anthony Alphonso Sanchez III, 31, after allegedly responding to a dispatch of shots fired.
Video Shows Handcuffed Man Steals Colorado Trooper's Cruiser
They are seen forcibly removing his vehicle from the road, cuffing him, and depositing him in the rear of a Colorado State Trooper cruiser. The authorities searched his vehicle and reported discovering a handgun in the trunk, as per TooFab.
Meanwhile, Sanchez is observed muttering to himself in the cruiser's rear before attempting to remove his restraints from behind his back and in front of him. Then, he crams himself into the vehicle's front seat and drives away.
Throughout the pursuit, the dashcam of the stolen vehicle continues to record Sanchez's heavy breathing and exclamation of "Oh, s--!" In addition, he can hear what the other troopers are saying to one another over the radio, such as "a suspect just stole a CST patrol car" and "a rifle was also left in the vehicle."
The authorities eventually attempt to stop the vehicle using "stop poles," but their first two attempts are ineffectual. The dashcam inside Sanchez's stolen cruiser captured when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a nearby parked semi-truck. The video ends just before impact.
When the troopers in pursuit arrived at the scene, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and the semi's trailer had turned over due to the collision.
According to additional footage posted by FOX News, responding officers extinguished the fire before attempting to extricate the suspect, who was alive and alert, from the vehicle. One officer is audibly heard stating that Sanchez appeared to have a head wound at the site.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the incident, according to KOAA. In the meantime, the trooper of the Colorado State Patrol whose vehicle was stolen was placed on administrative leave but was permitted to return to work. According to KOAA, an investigation into whether the trooper will face disciplinary action is still ongoing.
Officers cuffed Sanchez's wrists and placed him in the rear of a patrol car. Although still handcuffed, he wriggled free in the backseat, moved his wrists to the front of his body, and fled the stolen cruiser.
Vehicle Reported as 'Shots Discharged'
This resulted in a second pursuit, which ended when Sanchez collided violently into a parked vehicle after driving over police spikes. He perished of his injuries later on.
Apparently, the vehicle was reported as a "shots discharged" complaint. Moreover, the suspect allegedly caused multiple collisions and attempted to cause head-on collisions with other vehicles.
A video depicted police halting Sanchez's vehicle and surrounding it. After turning his vehicle around, he rapidly raised his arms and was surrounded by officers. Sanchez's wrists were placed behind his back and cuffed before he was led to the rear of a State Police cruiser.
Colonel Matthew Packard, the Colorado State Patrol superintendent, stated about the suspect's maneuver, "We don't see that very often, but it's not the first time."
Packard stated that the suspect was in the vehicle for approximately 90 seconds before he could slither into the driver's seat and drive away.
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