A 19-year-old pedestrian was killed in Denver’s Lincoln Park neighborhood earlier this month after police say a speeding driver in a gray Honda SUV hit him and took off, turning a busy city corridor into a crime scene. A Denver man is now under arrest, and court papers detail how investigators say they followed the trail of a damaged vehicle to a nearby home.
Affidavit Details 100-Mph Speed And Alleged Cleanup
According to an arrest affidavit reported by The Denver Post, 29-year-old Alejandro Sifuentes was arrested Jan. 7 and is being held at the Denver Downtown Detention Center. The affidavit says witnesses told investigators the gray Honda SUV was traveling about 100 mph on North Kalamath Street before it struck the pedestrian. It also states that Sifuentes later told people he tried to swerve but panicked and drove away.
The document alleges he cleaned blood from the vehicle, discarded his phone, and bought a new one after the crash. Prosecutors have charged him with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and a preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 5.
Crash Timeline And Early Police Search
The collision happened around 7:42 p.m. on Jan. 2, when a southbound vehicle struck a person crossing North Kalamath Street near West 11th Avenue, according to Denver7. Denver Police released photos of a gray Honda Accord Crosstour and asked anyone with dash or doorbell video to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, turning to the public to help fill in the gaps.
Investigators later found a vehicle with front-end and windshield damage parked outside a Lakewood home as they continued piecing together what happened on North Kalamath.
Court records and family notifications identified the victim as 19-year-old Angelo Simpson, local reporting shows, per The Denver Post. Police say they have informed Simpson’s next of kin and are continuing to interview witnesses as they prepare the case for prosecution.
Public court dockets list a 2023 Denver case for an Alejandro Sifuentes, indicating prior filings in the Denver District Court. The Colorado Judicial Branch docket shows entries that local reporters say relate to earlier domestic-violence-related matters as investigators reviewed the suspect’s background. Those entries remain publicly searchable on the state docket.
Police and the victim’s family have urged anyone with video or information to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Local outlets note that tips can be anonymous and may include a reward. Television and online coverage of the crash, along with the released vehicle images, helped detectives narrow their leads in the days after the collision.
Under Colorado law, leaving the scene of an accident that results in death is a class 3 felony and can carry multiple years in prison and significant fines, as outlined in C.R.S. 42-4-1601. The statute also allows for revocation of driving privileges in such cases, and prosecutors have discretion on how to proceed based on the evidence investigators present.
