COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Springs Police Department released a significant event briefing Wednesday that shows the moments that led up to a deadly crash involving carjacking suspects last month.
The video features Commander Hugh Michael Velasquez of the Sand Creek Division showing edited body camera footage, evidence imagery, and details of "releasable facts" known to investigators.
According to police, a 911 call was placed on April 13th at 12:52 a.m. from a man reporting that their mother had their vehicle stolen at gunpoint as she was leaving her apartment complex.
Officers were able to locate the stolen vehicle later in the morning driving through a parking lot near South Academy Blvd. and South Chelton Rd. Officers that located the vehicle said two suspects occupied the front seats.
Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the efforts were unsuccessful and a high-speed chase ensued. The chase led officers southbound on South Academy Boulevard, west on Hancock Expressway, then north on circle drive until an officer initiated a tactical vehicle intervention near the intersection of East Bijou Street.
In the video, CSPD explains the police process of a tactical vehicle intervention which is defined under CSPD policy as, "The deliberate act of impacting a suspect vehicle with a law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to force the suspect's vehicle to stop in a pursuit."
After officers initiated a tactical vehicle intervention, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a light pole on the southwest corner of the East Bijou Street and Circle Drive intersection.
Following the crash, officers moved to apprehend the suspects and provide medical aid following the crash. The passenger, identified as 20-year-old Henry Jackson was unresponsive when officers pulled him from the vehicle. Officers began CPR compressions as no pulse was detected.
Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers found a loaded handgun on Jackson that matched the description of the one that was used where the vehicle was initially stolen.
The driver was identified as 18-year-old D'Angelo Flynn. Flynn was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of aggravated robbery and vehicular eluding with a bond set at $25,000.
The officer that initiated the tactical vehicle intervention has been identified as Officer Matthew Anderson, who has been assigned as a patrol officer with the Sand Creek Division and has been employed with CSPD for 8 years.
Following the deadly crash, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office assumed control of the investigation which upon completion, will be turned over to the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office to determine if the officer's use of force complied with Colorado law.
Editors Note: Below is a link to the Significant Event Video Briefing from a Colorado Springs Police Department spokesperson reading a press release of the updated events leading up to the tactical vehicle intervention on April 13th that lead to the death of a passenger in the vehicle. The video also includes edited body camera footage showing certain details of the chase that resulted in the individual's death.
WARNING THE VIDEO SHOWS GRAPHIC IMAGERY THAT SOME MAY FIND HARD TO WATCH. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
You can watch the full CSPD video briefing here.
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