A midday carjacking call in south Aurora on Monday turned into a brief but chaotic pursuit that ended in a three-vehicle crash, a flipped stolen car and an Aurora police officer headed to the hospital for evaluation. Two suspects were taken into custody, while a third person slipped away before officers could make an arrest and is still being sought, according to police.
How the chase began
Aurora dispatch received a report of a carjacking at about 12:30 p.m., after the vehicle’s owner said it was taken while attempting to sell the car or an item from it. Roughly 15 minutes later, an automated license-plate reader flagged the vehicle near Parker Road and East Quincy Avenue, which led officers to try to stop it, according to Denver7. The driver did not stay put, and officers pursued the car through South Aurora until the chase ended in a collision.
How Flock cameras help detectives
Automated license-plate readers are designed to log plate numbers along with vehicle descriptions and a time-stamped location, then alert authorized users when a plate matches a reported stolen vehicle. Flock Safety, which provides many of those cameras, says agencies use its system to speed up recoveries and generate investigative leads. According to Flock Safety, those real-time alerts are a common way departments quickly zero in on suspect vehicles.
Crash, weapons and arrests
The pursuit ended when the stolen vehicle, an Aurora Police Department cruiser and a third vehicle collided at East Hampden Circle and South Chambers Road. The stolen car flipped during the crash. Two people inside that vehicle were taken into custody, and officers recovered three guns from the wrecked car, as reported by Denver7. The APD officer was transported to a hospital for evaluation and was expected to be OK. The condition of the other driver involved in the crash has not been released.
Aurora police are still searching for the third suspect and are asking anyone with information to contact the department. No names or charges have been released while the investigation remains active.
The department has not provided additional details about the suspects or the weapons that were recovered. This story will be updated as the Aurora police release more information.
