Colorado man allegedly steals truck, gets into head-on crash, sending 5 people to the hospital

By Austin Erblat

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    AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — Five people were taken to the hospital and an Aurora man is now in jail after police say he stole a pickup truck, drove it through Denver and Glendale, and got into a head-on collision with another car while allegedly under the influence Saturday night.

Michael Guadalupe Freyta, 26, of Aurora, was arrested after being released from the hospital and now faces charges of eluding, motor vehicle theft, and two counts of vehicular assault — all felonies — and misdemeanor DUI.

One of the four people injured in the other car was taken to the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, while the others were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the Aurora Police Department.

A department spokesman says the truck Freyta was driving — a 2000 Dodge Ram — was confirmed stolen when officers saw the car around 5:45 p.m. on Saturday near East Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Road.

Officers followed the vehicle and tried to stop it at South Potomac Street and East Mississippi Avenue. Freyta allegedly fled and officers chased him west through Denver into Glendale. He then crashed into another vehicle with four people in it near South Leetsdale Drive and South Cherry Street in Glendale.

Aurora police are investigating the alleged theft and several other aspects of the incident, while Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is investigating the crash.

Freyta has previously been arrested on charges of motor vehicle theft, ID theft, fraud, and forgery, and he’s allegedly failed to maintain his status on the sex offender registry for an Adams County conviction involving a minor, according to Aurora police.

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