AURORA, Colo. — A two-vehicle crash Saturday night involving an Aurora police vehicle left one man dead and a police officer hospitalized.
The crash occurred around 8:20 p.m. at the intersection of Chambers Road and Bates Avenue in the Meadow Wood neighborhood and involved an Aurora police Chevy Tahoe and a Toyota Corolla.
The officer was in the marked police Tahoe responding to a 911 call regarding a possible break-in at a home in the 2300 block of South Blackhawk Street, according to the Aurora Police Department.
When the Tahoe, traveling northbound on Chambers Road, entered the intersection, it struck the Corolla on the vehicle's passenger side, causing the police Tahoe to roll and come to a rest on its roof.
Police said the APD unit did not have its lights and siren activated since the officer was responding to a non-emergent call.
The officer was trapped in the upside-down Tahoe but later freed and transported to the hospital. The officer was not wearing a seatbelt, police said. The officer sustained serious injuries but is expected to recover.
The 44-year-old male driver of the Corolla, an Aurora resident, was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. He was wearing a seatbelt. He was identified as Elias Hans Anderson. Police initially told Denver7 that the driver was expected to survive.
“We are saddened by the tragic loss of life following this incident,” said Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo in a news release. “Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve the loss of a loved one.”
The Colorado State Patrol responded to the scene at the request of the Aurora Police Department and will be conducting the crash investigation. Additionally, investigators from the Aurora Police Department Bureau of Internal Affairs will be conducting an investigation into the incident.
Troopers told Denver7 they suspect Anderson was impaired. Excessive speed by the Anderson and/or the officer is suspected as well. But they said the Corolla driver failed to yield to the APD unit since the Corolla driver was at a stop sign.
Police said the 25-year-old officer involved was hired in February 2022 and assigned to patrol District 3.
