A 26-year-old woman is facing a long list of felony and misdemeanor charges after deputies say she led them on a high-speed chase through Aurora in a stolen car, crashing through a security gate and slamming into another vehicle whose driver suffered serious injuries. The other driver, described as a Prius that ended up stopped in the westbound lanes of traffic, was taken to a hospital following the collision. A third vehicle was also struck by flying debris from the crash.
According to Sentinel Colorado, the chase began Wednesday afternoon when Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputies were in the area of StoreLocal Storage at 1995 S. Valentia St. in Aurora and encountered a vehicle carrying a license plate that had been reported stolen. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office says the driver, later identified as Leinaala La Shomb, sped toward a deputy and fled when deputies approached, crashing through a closed security gate before continuing east on East Iliff Avenue. The collision with the gate caused extensive damage to both the gate and the vehicle, and that damage reportedly obstructed the driver's view as the pursuit continued.
Chase Reached 70 MPH Before Impact
Deputies say La Shomb reached speeds of about 70 mph before crashing into the other car, sending vehicle parts scattering in multiple directions. No sheriff's patrol vehicles were involved in the actual collision, according to the sheriff's office account relayed by the same outlet. La Shomb was arrested at the scene and now faces charges including vehicular eluding, car theft, criminal mischief, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, felony assault, felony and misdemeanor drug possession, and failure to appear on past charges, per jail records cited by the Sentinel.
Colorado's vehicular eluding statute, C.R.S. § 18-9-116.5, is generally a Class 5 felony punishable by one to three years in prison, but it automatically escalates to a Class 4 felony carrying two to six years and fines up to $500,000 when a pursuit causes bodily injury to another person, according to Rights & Liberties Law Firm. Whether prosecutors will pursue that elevated charge given the other driver's serious injuries remains an open question. Separately, motor vehicle theft in Colorado is a felony regardless of the car's value, and factors like a stolen license plate or $500 or more in property damage can elevate a charge to aggravated motor vehicle theft, according to DeChant Law.
Jurisdictions Split Investigation and Prosecution Duties
Because the crash happened along East Iliff Avenue near jurisdictional boundaries, the Denver Police Department has been assigned to investigate the collision itself, while the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is separately reviewing the chase under its own agency policy. Formal criminal charges will ultimately be decided by the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, which handles cases across Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. La Shomb, held on roughly $11,000 total bond according to jail records, is next due in court on Monday, with the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office associated with that appearance.
A Familiar Pattern of Pursuits Gone Wrong
This is not the first time a stolen-car chase in the area has ended in serious harm. In December, a pursuit in nearby Aurora ended when the stolen car crashed into a light pole at East Alameda Avenue and South Peoria Street, killing two adults and prompting an internal pursuit policy review. In July, a 17-year-old driver died after a suspected stolen Volkswagen Jetta crashed and caught fire at South Havana Street and East Alameda Avenue following a brief pursuit that officers had actually called off due to excessive speed.
Despite these high-profile crashes, statewide auto theft numbers have been trending down. Auto thefts across Colorado dropped 34% in 2025 compared to 2024, a 56% decline from the 2021 peak when the state led the nation in per-capita car thefts, according to the Office of Governor Jared Polis. The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority reports that 80% of stolen vehicles were recovered in 2025, well above the 56% national average, though many recovered cars require extensive repairs. That agency's 2025 annual report also identified Denver and Aurora as the two Colorado cities logging the highest total volume of motor vehicle thefts, underscoring why stolen-vehicle stops remain a routine but risky part of policing in the metro area.
