A driver racing another vehicle on Highway 2 in Commerce City hit speeds over 100 miles per hour before fleeing from police, according to the Commerce City Police Department. Both drivers took off from the scene once officers tried to pull them over, but only one was tracked down, ticketed on multiple counts, and had their vehicle impounded.
The chase began when an officer attempted a traffic stop on the two vehicles racing along Highway 2, as reported by KDVR. Rather than stop, both drivers fled, and police say that act alone is a felony offense. Officers used camera technology to track one of the racers' vehicles rather than engage in a high-speed pursuit, eventually locating the driver again and making a second attempt at a stop, which succeeded.
That driver was ticketed for speeding 40 mph over the posted limit, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, driving without a valid license, and vehicular eluding. The vehicle was impounded following the arrest, per the police department's account relayed to the station. The outcome for the second driver involved in the race was not addressed in the department's report.
Why Commerce City Police Didn't Chase the Car
Commerce City's decision to rely on cameras instead of a traditional pursuit reflects a deliberate shift in tactics. The department has leaned on Automated License Plate Readers paired with its Drone as First Responder program, launched in 2025, to track fleeing vehicles along corridors like Highway 2 without putting officers or bystanders at risk during hazardous high-speed chases, according to the City of Commerce City.
The strategy fits into a wider regional effort. Commerce City police also participate in a statewide initiative led by the Colorado State Patrol that links more than 40 agencies through a centralized reporting portal used to track repeat street-racing offenders across the Denver metro area, according to Broomfield officials. Neighboring departments have run their own crackdowns too — in late June, Denver police stopped 19 individuals and impounded four vehicles during a targeted street-racing sweep, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the late-June crackdown on racers.
The Legal Stakes of Fleeing Police in Colorado
Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-9-116.5, vehicular eluding occurs when a driver operating a vehicle recklessly and knowingly flees from a pursuing officer. As of 2026, a conviction where no injury or death occurs is classified as a Class 5 felony, punishable by one to three years in prison and a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000, according to Colorado Legal Defense Group. Beyond criminal penalties, vehicles used in felony eluding or street-racing speed contests can also be subject to civil forfeiture and permanent seizure under the state's public nuisance statutes, per the Denver Criminal Attorney Law Office.
State lawmakers have moved to sharpen those penalties further. Colorado enacted Senate Bill 26-035 this month to increase statutory penalties for high-speed traffic violations, building on earlier 2026 legislation, SB 25-281, that raised criminal penalties for dangerous driving behaviors statewide, according to CGH Injury Lawyers. Some Denver-area municipalities have gone further still — Broomfield enacted an ordinance in May giving police authority to impound and seize vehicles involved in street racing or illegal sideshows.
A Corridor With a History of Danger
Highway 2 has drawn safety concerns before. In September 2023, a crash at Highway 2 and East 72nd Avenue killed two people and left a child in critical condition, according to the City of Commerce City. The corridor has remained a focus for local traffic enforcement teams monitoring dangerous intersections.
The dangers of high speed extend beyond the immediate risk of a crash. Stopping distance quadruples as speed doubles, requiring more than 345 feet to stop at 60 mph and over 700 feet at speeds exceeding 100 mph, according to 2026 Colorado Department of Transportation and NHTSA safety guidelines. Commerce City has already seen the fatal potential of street racing play out this year — in March, police arrested a 22-year-old man for vehicular homicide and hit-and-run after a street racing crash on Interstate 270 killed a passenger, as reported by the Denver Gazette.
