Tyler Young, 33, of Lakewood, has admitted he was behind the wheel in a chaotic Evergreen chase that ended on a runaway truck ramp and sparked a brief radioactive scare on I-70. He pleaded guilty Monday in Jefferson County District Court and now faces a likely decade or more in state prison for the incident that unfolded last Sept. 11.
The case began when deputies tracked a stolen Ford F-150 to the Walmart on Swede Gulch Road. What started as a stolen-truck call quickly escalated, authorities say, into a high-speed attempt to get away that ran from a crowded parking lot to the eastbound interstate.
In court, Young pleaded guilty to one count each of motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, and second-degree assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop three other charges under a plea deal. The agreement calls for a prison term between 10 and 13 years, with formal sentencing set for April 27. The plea was entered on Monday, according to the Denver Gazette.
Chase To The Runaway Ramp And An I-70 Shutdown
Deputies moved in after spotting the stolen pickup in the Walmart lot. Witnesses told investigators the driver rammed law enforcement vehicles, then tore out of the parking area at high speed as officers followed.
The chase headed toward eastbound I-70 and finally came to a stop on a runaway truck ramp near mile marker 257. Once the pickup was secured, crews found a box labeled “radioactive material” inside and shut down the interstate out of caution. That box turned out to hold a tool with radioactive properties, not a loose hazardous substance, but the discovery still forced an hours-long cleanup and retrieval effort by specialized vendors, according to CPR News.
Trooper Opens Fire, CIRT Review Underway
As the truck fled the Walmart area and headed toward the highway, witnesses reported seeing a Colorado State Patrol trooper fire roughly eight shots at the vehicle before it merged onto I-70. Young was ultimately taken into custody with what officials described as minor injuries once the truck was stopped on the ramp.
The incident triggered an investigation by the First Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team to determine whether the trooper’s use of force was justified. That report will not be released until after Young is sentenced, according to the Denver Gazette. Court records also show Young has prior motor vehicle theft convictions in both Jefferson and Gilpin counties.
What’s Next
Young is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27. Under the plea deal, the 10 to 13-year prison term is expected to run at the same time as an existing motor vehicle theft sentence out of Gilpin County.
If the Critical Incident Response Team finds that the trooper acted improperly, its report will be handed to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges. That review process for the officer-involved shooting could easily outlast Young’s sentencing timeline.
Evergreen On Edge
The chase landed in the middle of an already tense stretch for Evergreen. Just one day earlier, on Sept. 10, a shooting at Evergreen High School left students critically injured and led to closures at nearby schools. Local coverage noted that the back-to-back shocks of the school shooting and the I-70 pursuit left many residents rattled and prompted a surge in law enforcement presence across the mountain community, according to Colorado Politics.
