BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department is trying to find two possible victims after a hit and run near the Bolder Boulder race yesterday.
Just after 8:15 a.m. on Monday, May 27, bike officers contacted and stopped a driver in the Whole Foods parking lot on Pearl Street after receiving reports of a driver acting strangely at a nearby race barricade, wearing a ski mask and then running two stop signs.
Despite stopping briefly and talking with officers, the driver then ignored officers’ commands and drove off.
The suspect was driving a brown Ford Explorer when he struck another car in the parking lot and nearly hit a woman walking nearby before driving off. He continued driving away from officers and headed toward blocked off roads where race participants were running. Numerous officers coordinated to keep the driver from entering the racecourse and conducted a pinch maneuver to stop the car. The suspect was then taken into custody.
Officers would like to speak to the owner of the vehicle that was struck and to the woman who was almost hit, who might have been an early race runner or a spectator, seen in this video clip: https://vimeo.com/951216445?share=copy
“We are all very thankful that these two community members appear to be okay despite what happened and that we stopped this man before he could get any closer to the race,” interim Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. “Crimes like this are exactly what we train for and we have been preparing for this event for months, both internally with our drone, Patrol, SWAT, K9 and Traffic teams and with our partners at CU, the Bolder Boulder, several Boulder County public safety agencies as well as community members. I’m very proud of how swiftly our officers protected the community yesterday and I’m hopeful we can find these two people.”
Boulder Police ask anyone who knows who these two victims are or has any information about this incident to please contact Detective E. Quayle QuayleE@bouldercolorado.gov or 720-564-2078 reference case 24-05068.
The suspect is facing charges of vehicular eluding, hit and run, reckless endangerment, obstruction, driving without a valid driver’s license and driving without insurance. Additional charges are possible.
As in every criminal case, these charges are an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.
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