"Oh f—, he just stole the patrol car!" exclaims one officer, before a high-speed chase ends with the vehicle careening into a truck and igniting in flames.
A Colorado man led authorities on a fatal high-speed chase, using one of their own cruisers.
The deadly incident went down back on June 20, before bodycam and dashcam footage was released to the public the following week.
In the video, Otero County Deputies are first seen following a man later identified as Anthony Alphonso Sanchez III, 31, after reportedly responding to a call of shots fired.
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They’re seen forcing his car off the road, before placing him in handcuffs and putting him in the back of a Colorado State Trooper cruiser. While in the back of the vehicle, authorities searched his vehicle and said they found a handgun.
Meanwhile, Sanchez is seen mumbling to himself in the backseat of the cruiser, before wriggling to get his handcuffs out from behind his back and in front of him. He then squeezes into the front seat of the cruiser … and drives off.
“Oh f—! He just stole the patrol car!” one of the responders exclaims as the vehicle is seen speeding away.
The dashcam for the stolen vehicle continues to record, as Sanchez can be heard breathing heavily and saying, “Oh, s—!” throughout the ensuing pursuit. He can also hear what the other troopers are saying to one another over the radio — including one saying, “suspect just stole a CST patrol car” and another pointing out that a rifle was also left in the vehicle.
Authorities eventually try using “stop sticks” to bring the vehicle to a halt, but are unsuccessful in their first two attempts. Sanchez hit the third one though — with dashcam from inside the stolen cruiser showing him lose control of the vehicle before careening into a semi-truck parked on the side of the road nearby. The video cuts at the moment of impact.
When the troopers in pursuit arrived on scene, the vehicle had ignited in flames, while the trailer of the semi tipped over following the crash.
In additional video posted by FOX News (above), responding officers first put out the fire, before attempting to remove the suspect — who was alive and conscious — from the vehicle. One officer can be heard saying Sanchez appeared to have a head injury on the scene.
Sanchez was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. The truck driver wasn’t injured.
According to KOAA, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, the Colorado State Patrol trooper whose vehicle was stolen was put on administrative leave, but was cleared to return to work. KOAA reports that an investigation into whether any disciplinary action will be taken against the trooper is still ongoing.
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