ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — In March 2023, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) was searching for a suspect in a series of crimes, including aggravated motor vehicle theft, that spanned a handful of jurisdictions. He was ultimately found thanks to the quick actions of a Good Samaritan.
Investigators say James McDonald, 41, stole a red Ford F-150 truck from a Centennial car dealership on March 11, 2023, after taking it for a test drive. Two days later, an RV in Lakewood was also stolen.
Less than a week after the red truck was stolen, Park County deputies spotted a woman driving it. Driving next to the red truck was the stolen motorhome, being driven by McDonald. Police pursued the two vehicles, but the chase was ended because of safety concerns.
On March 20, ACSO deputies found the stolen RV, along with several firearms inside of it. A day later, a black Ford F-150 truck was stolen from a car dealer in Franktown.
Investigators say a Lakewood police officer attempted to pull over that stolen black truck on March 24, but the driver eluded the officer. That's where Johan Sebastian Eslava-Osorio comes into the story.
Eslava-Osorio described March 24, 2023, as a normal day. He was heading to the supermarket with his wife when he noticed a black truck that appeared to be missing a wheel. He then saw the truck collide with other vehicles at the intersection of Garrison and Colfax in Denver.
His first instinct was to try and help, but that quickly changed when he saw the driver run.
"When this happened, my first impression was I wanted to go help the people in the crash. And as I was going there, I observed that the driver was pushing the door and he was running away," said Eslava-Osorio in Spanish.
Eslava-Osorio wasted no time. Video captured by Denver Police Department's Air1 helicopter shows Eslava-Osorio chasing McDonald moments after the crash.
- Watch the police helicopter video below
"This man wanted to basically flee from the scene, and I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to make sure that the guy didn't commit any more crimes because I realized he could hurt other people more than he had already hurt people in this crash. So I went after him," he explained.
At one point, McDonald was able to wiggle out of his jacket and run away, but he wasn't fast enough. Eslava-Osorio was able to hold down McDonald until Denver police officers arrived and took him into custody.
"At a certain point, a very, very fast thought crossed my mind that he may be armed, but my thought was to just apprehend them so that he wouldn't hurt anyone else," said Eslava-Osorio.
The sheriff's office said investigators could not release information until the matter was resolved in court.
ACSO commended Eslava-Osorio for his bravery. In a statement, Investigator Jose Diaz, who worked on this case, said, “Thanks to Mr. Eslava-Osorio’s swift action, the suspect was held and apprehended without further incident. I’m certain that if the suspect had fled the scene of the accident on foot, his desperate attempts to get away would have surely led to additional victims or additional property damage. As the investigator assigned to this case, I am very grateful that Mr. Eslava-Osorio was there to end the long search for the suspect."
Eslava-Osorio, who is originally from Columbia and now works as a truck driver, said he would do it all again if it meant helping his community stay safe.
"I think, you know, whether we're immigrants or not, I think we should all just put an effort to make where we live a better place to live," said Eslava-Osorio.
McDonald was sentenced for aggravated motor vehicle theft in Arapahoe County and is serving a 40-year prison sentence, according to the sheriff's office.
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