A wild car chase that included multiple accidents and two car jackings went viral on social media years after the incident occurred.
The incident took place in Denver, Colo. in 2014, and resurfaced in November 2021, garnering over 12 million views in just days.
At the beginning of the two-minute clip, which includes reporting by Denver 7’s Traffic Anchor Jayson Luber, the suspect is seen speeding down a busy road in a red SUV where he dodges head-on traffic until he ends up in a parking lot.
“This is where I thought he was going to get caught. He ended up in a little parking lot area here that is really no man’s land near about 69th Avenue,” Luber says. He decides to go up into the grass, over the curb there and you can see there are no restrictions, right through the little fence, and then down the embankment and onto I-76. So that’s how he was able to escape the side streets and then get back on the highway.”
After taking off down I-76, the suspect pulls in front of a gold minivan, forcing them to stop.
“This is where he carjacks that family. The couple. He gets the driver’s door open. Gets the driver out,” Luber explains. “The passenger, she jumps out of the car right now and then goes to the side and this is when he has that gold minivan and then drives away.”
The suspect then takes off going the wrong direction down I-76 “nearly hitting semis [and] police officers.” Other law enforcement is then seen attempting to throw “stop sticks” in front of this vehicle, but they are unsuccessful.
After hitting a state trooper, the driver attempts to carjack another vehicle, but fails. He eventually hits a woman in a BMW, who pulls over to the side of the road.
“He pretends that “hey, I just hit you. I’m in an accident. What’s going on?” And when he gets up to the woman’s door, he opens it up and then rips her out, throws her to the ground and then takes her car and then continues on his way,” Luber says.
“He then comes into the intersection right here at Peoria and Lincoln Avenue where he causes that accident,” the reporter continues. “The car is undrivable.”
The suspect tries to hijack another vehicle, but was unable to take the car due to a Douglas County Deputy. He then takes off on foot.
“Running through the front yard of that bank, he goes around the bank, slips and falls on the snow [and] loses his jacket,” Luber says. “He eventually goes over to a fence where he can’t get through anymore, and this is where the officers eventually get him without any other resistance, which was thankful news.”
“So a very scary chase that lasted about 45 minutes or so this morning, and thankfully, it didn’t turn out worse than it could have,” the reporter concludes.
