PUEBLO — The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) says an investigation into a man's death while in custody over the weekend is underway.
The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been notified and will be led by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office during the investigation.
PPD says the man involved was arrested after reports of a wrong-way driver heading southbound in the northbound lanes of I-25 near Highway 50 around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
Following that initial report, and officer later responded to Dillon Drive and Cesar Chavez Boulevard for a report of a traffic crash.
When officers arrived, witnesses at the scene told them the man was later determined to be the same person driving the wrong-way vehicle down I-25 and was heading north along Dillon Drive at a high rate of speed, ran a red light, and hit a white BMW. The driver of the BMW was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Despite the crash, witnesses said the driver got out of their vehicle and then allegedly attempted to leave the scene by stealing another car and trying to remove the driver.
Witnesses, including an off-duty Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy, saw the incident happen and detained the man until Pueblo Police arrived just before 11:40 p.m. The deputy was later treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Officers said the man in custody was acting erratically and was detained for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and aggravated robbery.
The department said EMS personnel checked on the suspect before taking him to a local hospital to get a blood sample. As they arrived, they say the man went unresponsive. Life-saving efforts were attempted, but the man was ultimately pronounced dead at the hospital.
The man's identity will be released at a later date by the Pueblo County Coroner's Office.
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