OTERO COUNTY, Colo. — A suspect stole a Colorado State Patrol vehicle and died in a fiery crash in Otero County, according to the agency.
Otereo County deputies were attempting to stop a suspect who was traveling on Highway 50 Tuesday morning. CSP state troopers were called in to help around 10:57 a.m., according to the agency. The vehicle was connected to a "shots fired" call.
The suspect had reportedly caused multiple crashes, and attempted to cause head-on collisions with other vehicles, according to CSP.
Through tactical vehicle intervention (TVI), troopers were able to stop the vehicle and contact the suspect, CSP said.
Sometime during the arrest, the suspect jumped into the driver's seat of a marked CSP vehicle and drove off on Highway 50.
Authorities deployed stop sticks to try and stop the stolen patrol vehicle. The stop sticks forced the suspect to lose control and crash into the side of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) that was parked on the side of the highway, according to CSP. The patrol vehicle spun out and caught on fire.
The suspect was pulled out of the patrol vehicle and taken to the hospital, where they later died. The CMV driver was not injured, according to CSP.
The suspect's identity will be released once next of kin is notified.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the incident, CSP said.
