An Englewood police officer hospitalized after police say a drunk driver from Aurora slammed into him Sunday has died.
Officer Jeremy Bitner died Tuesday of injuries suffered in the early Sunday morning crash near east Belleview Avenue and Broadway in Englewood, Channel 7 is reporting.
The 20-year-old Aurora man accused of hitting Bitner, Conner Donohue, remains in the Arapahoe County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He appeared in court Tuesday on hit and run, vehicular assault and DUI charges, but those charges will likely be upgraded after Bitner’s death.
The incident started Sunday morning when Bitner pulled over a Ford Mustang for a traffic infraction near Broadway and Centennial Boulevard.
While the officer and the Mustang driver were standing outside the vehicles, a Nissan Pathfinder headed south on Broadway sideswiped the police cruiser and struck both Bitner and the other driver, later identified as Kevin Montoya, 20, of Littleton.
Both were taken to Swedish Hospital in Englewood where Montoya remains today, according to reports.
After the crash, the driver of the Nissan, who police later identified as Donohue, fled the scene and was later arrested by Littleton police.
Donohue has never been arrested as an adult in Colorado, according to state records. His next court appearance is Friday.