DENVER – Prosecutors in Denver have charged a 19-year-old man with first-degree murder and eight other felony counts after he was arrested and accused of driving more than 100 mph down Broadway and hitting and killing a man on July 2.
Avel Aguirre-Sanchez, 19, faces counts including first-degree murder – extreme indifference; two counts of attempted murder – extreme indifference; two counts of attempted first-degree assault with a deadly weapon; first-degree assault – extreme indifference; vehicular homicide – DUI; vehicular homicide – DWAI; and vehicular homicide – reckless driving, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
He is accused of hitting 23-year-old Terrell Jones with his vehicle near the intersection of North Broadway Street and Ellsworth Avenue in the Baker neighborhood of Denver around 1:40 a.m. on July 2.
According to a probable cause statement for his arrest, Aguirre-Sanchez was driving more than 100 miles per hour when he ran the red light at the intersection of Broadway and Ellsworth and hit Jones, who was crossing the street on foot.
The speed limit in the area is 30 miles per hour and the area sees high pedestrian traffic. The probable cause statement said Jones was thrown underneath parked cars by the impact.
Witnesses told police officers Aguirre-Sanchez’s vehicle continued south past Archer Place, at least 350 feet from Ellsworth, and crashed into parked cars just south of Archer Place.
Jones was pronounced dead at the scene, while Aguirre-Sanchez was taken to Denver Health Medical Center and sedated until he was unconscious, according to the probable cause statement.
The police officer who wrote the probable cause statement said he used a passive breath test on Aguirre-Sanchez that showed a positive result for the presence of alcohol.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner determined Jones died from multiple blunt-force injuries.
Aguirre-Sanchez is set to be advised of the charges against him in a court hearing scheduled for Thursday.