AURORA | Police have identified a man they say stole an Aurora police car and then led officers on a chase across the city before another officer crashed into the filched police cruiser.
“While investigating that incident, a possibly uninvolved male entered one of our police vehicles,” Michael Gaskill, Aurora deputy chief, said yesterday, “and stole it.”
Police said yesterday that man was 31-year-old Brayan Reyes-Bernal.
“One of the officers observed (Reyes-Bernal) getting into the vehicle and driving off and aired that to units in the area where a pursuit was initiated,” Gaskill said.
The chase began around 8:30 a.m. in the 700 block of South Oswego Street, and lasted until about 9:15 a.m., Gaskill said.
The chase escalated into a multi-jurisdictional pursuit after the thief drove through Arapahoe County and Greenwood Village while fleeing, according to Gaskill.
The pursuit ended near East Alameda Avenue and South Buckley Road.
“As the vehicle tried to make a turn and was starting to lose control, one of our D2 supervisors entered the path of the vehicle and intentionally rammed the vehicle, stopping it,” Gaskill said.
Reyes-Bernal surrendered and was taken into custody, police said. Both he and the supervisor were transported to a hospital with minor injuries and were both later released, Gaskill said.
Gaskill said it remains unclear whether Reyes-Bernal was tied to the initial burglary call.
“Reyes-Bernal is facing charges including aggravated motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, burglary, and hit-and-run, with additional charges pending,” Gaskill said in a statement. “He was currently on probation out of Adams County for felony trespassing and has a lengthy criminal history, including prior arrests for domestic violence and DUI.”
Police officials said that the police vehicles can stay running without the key in the ignition, implying that the vehicle was left running and unlocked during the burglary call.
“The keys were in the officer’s pocket,” Gaskill said. “I could have mine started right now. My keys are in my pocket. If I don’t lock the doors, someone can drive off in our police vehicles. We actually have a next step to enact an anti-theft device, but it’s a process that we have to initiate, and for whatever reason, that didn’t happen.”
“Stop sticks” were deployed by police multiple times during the chase, Gaskill said, but were unsuccessful in stopping the police department’s Tahoe, though they may have damaged the tires.
“That probably wore out the tire, and then riding on the rim, that’s kind of what caused the suspect vehicle to lose control,” Gaskill said.
He said supervisors deemed the crash intervention necessary because of the contents of the police vehicle, and that this is not how they would always intervene with a suspect vehicle.
“There are a lot of things in police vehicles. We wouldn’t want the vehicle to get away,” he said. “So this wound up being the best place to do it, and the D2 supervisor was successful in completing it.”
The pursuit lasted about 35 minutes, with speeds ranging from 30 mph to 80 mph, Gaskill said. Command staff monitored the chase but determined it was safe to continue.
“As far as I know, there was no unassociated or ancillary accidents along the path that I’m aware of,” Gaskill said.
Traffic investigators are reviewing the incident. Once the damaged vehicles are removed, the intersection is expected to reopen, he said.
Would it have been better to follow the police vehicle with unmarked vehicles?
When the criminal stopped and got out, arrest him.
As private investigators, my partner and I followed a vehicle in our vehicles, sometimes getting ahead of it, and documented where it stopped and the driver got out.
Prior arrests are relevant to prosecutors and police.
If they did not result in convictions, they’re inadmissible as evidence in any trial. (There can be unusual circumstances that may make them relevant to the court, and they’re always of interest to the prosecution.)