An attempted traffic stop of a driver for running red lights developed into an hourslong pursuit involving three law enforcement agencies and ended with a driver killing himself.
The pursuit started about 10:40 p.m. Thursday when El Paso County sheriff's deputies saw a driver run multiple red lights. The driver sped off when a deputy tried to pull him over. Deputies later learned that the same driver had been involved in a hit-and-run crash earlier in the evening, said Jacqueline Kirby, spokeswoman for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
The driver was eventually stopped again.
"My deputy tried to get out and go talk to the driver. The driver put his car into reverse and reversed into the car of the deputy - rammed into it," Sgt. Greg White, with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, told Gazette news partner KKTV.
The driver, whose name was not released, sped off, and the deputy started chasing the driver but backed off because of the danger of the pursuit.
"We chased him for a few more minutes, and again, had to stop because of the way he was driving," White told KKTV.
Kirby said the driver was later spotted by a Colorado Springs Police Department officer just before midnight near South Murray Boulevard and Airport Road.
"Another pursuit ensued, and the Colorado State Patrol came into assist," Kirby said. "The vehicle was stopped at Powers and Platte."
As state patrol troopers approached the vehicle, the driver took out a gun and shot himself in the head, she said. He was declared dead on the scene.
Kirby said there was no exchange of gunfire and the only shot fired came from the driver. No law enforcement officers or others were injured in the incident, she added.
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