Lakewood man suspected of attempted murder hospitalized after Aurora police chase

A Lakewood man is being investigated for the attempted murder of Aurora police officers after he shot at them during a 13-mile chase across the metro early Wednesday morning.

The chase started at around 1:32 a.m. when officers responded to reports of two suspects assaulting a person and pointing a gun at them in the 3200 block of Carson Street, Patrol Division Chief Kevin Barnes said at a briefing.

Officers spotted a red Chevrolet pickup truck described in the initial 911 call going westbound on Colfax Avenue near Sable Boulevard, and as they followed it onto southbound Interstate 225, a white Ford pickup truck started driving in between police and the red truck.

A man and woman in the Ford started throwing tools out of the windows and the man driving, 31-year-old Aaron Wallace, shot at officers in three different bursts as the chase continued onto southbound Interstate 25, Barnes said.

Aurora officers using a PIT maneuver to stop the truck near I-25 and Arapahoe Road in Greenwood Village at around 1:47 a.m., which caused it to roll onto its roof, Barnes said.

A PIT maneuver is when a police vehicle hits the rear side of a fleeing car, forcing it to turn sideways abruptly. The goal is to make the driver lose control of the vehicle and stop.

Wallace and 21-year-old woman tried to run away but were arrested by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Greenwood Village Police Department moments later. Both were taken to the hospital.

Wallace is still hospitalized and will be arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, Investigations Cmdr. Marc Paolino said during the briefing. Additional charges are possible.

The woman was released from the hospital, is cooperating with police and is not facing any charges, he said.

The driver of the red truck fled the scene and is still at large. Investigators are looking into how the drivers of the two vehicles know each other, Paolino said.

Police found a 40-caliber gun with an extended-capacity magazine at the scene of the crash.

The Aurora Police Department’s newly-updated chase policy means there are more circumstances under which officers can pursue fleeing suspects, but that change doesn’t apply in this case, Barnes said.

“Our pursuit policy had nothing to do with how we responded to this particular incident,” he said. “If this had happened a year ago, we would have responded the same way.”

Barnes praised officers for acting with courage in the face of extreme danger.

The case is being investigated by Aurora’s Crime Gun Intelligence unit, Paolino said. Officer’s use of force will be investigated by the department’s Major Crimes unit and Internal Affairs will review the incident for compliance with agency policy and training.

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