Denver Police chased a tractor downtown before a police car collided with it

The chase lasted for about 30 minutes as officers pursued the vehicle from the City Park area to LoDo.
3 min. read
A stolen tractor and ensuing police chase came to an end on 15th Street downtown between Blake and Market Streets, July 20, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

UPDATE Saturday, July 21, 10:12 a.m.: Denver police pursued a suspect in a stolen tractor for about half an hour late Friday night, according to Tyrone Campbell, a Denver Police Department spokesman.

"We are finding out that it was taken from a facility that is operated by Denver Water," Campbell said Saturday morning. "It sounds like the vehicle was taken somewhere down around 6th Avenue and I-25."

But officers began their pursuit of the vehicle miles away, somewhere near City Park at about 8:28 p.m., and the pursuit ended downtown at about 9:08 p.m., Campbell said.

The suspect and two officers sustained minor injuries. The suspect is in custody and the officers have been treated and released as of Saturday morning. One officer was injured during the collision and the other's injuries were related to the arrest. Police are not currently releasing information about the nature of the suspect's injuries.

Campbell said police have yet to determine whether the tractor is city property or not, and whether drugs or alcohol were involved.


Friday night: A suspect is in custody after a police pursuit of a stolen tractor Friday night ended when a police car apparently crashed head-on into the tractor near 15th Street and Market Street in downtown Denver.

The tractor caught the attention of onlookers who tweeted out photos and videos of the odd sight. Earlier Friday, Denver Police had tweeted that they were attempting to contact a suspect who had been involved in a single vehicle crash with no injuries. The Denver Police vehicle involved in stopping the tractor was heavily damaged.

Denver Police spokesman Tyrone Campbell told the Denver Post Friday night that the slow-speed chase started in City Park.

The crash temporarily closed 15th Street from Larimer to Blake.

In the aftermath of the crash, club music was still heard blasting nearby, and pedicabs and their fares were passing by and gawking despite police tape attempting to keep people at bay a block away.

Andres Oropeza speaks to the press. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Andres Oropeza said he saw the crash.

"It was very tactical, it was planned out," he said. Oropeza said he saw a police officer on a motorcycle block traffic, making room for the police car to hit the tractor. Oropeza said an officer got out of the car and used a stun device on the tractor driver, who was later removed from the scene in an ambulance.

The suspect in the alleged tractor theft and ensuing chase is loaded into a Denver Health ambulance, July 20, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Andres Oropeza)

Garyn Bryant, who works at a PF Chang's near the scene, had a video showing multiple police officers surrounding the man after the crash. Bryant said he heard a crash and went out to see what was going on and saw four or five officers pulling a man to the ground, though the man "was still going ... then they got the dog on him," Bryant said.

He said the man kept fighting police despite being outnumbered.

"It's insane," said Aaron Bray, who works at the nearby Rhein Haus beer hall. He said he had never seen anything like it before.

Police surround a stolen tractor on 15th Street downtown, July 20, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Andres Oropeza)
Aaron Bray reacts to the scene. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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