Denver police shoot suspect during hostage situation after alleged road rage shooting, chief says

By Melissa Alonso and Ashley R. Williams, CNN

(CNN) — A suspect was shot by police in Colorado after a road rage shooting and a hostage situation in Denver, authorities said.

The incident started out as a road rage encounter around 5:30 p.m. local time on Friday, according to the Denver Police Department.

A man called 911 to report someone shot at his car near Interstate 25 and Colfax Avenue, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said.

The caller was not injured but said his vehicle was hit. The caller followed the truck, where he said the shots came from, until officers arrived and found the truck empty, Thomas said at a news conference.

Denver police officers watched the vehicle until about 11 p.m. local time, when four people got in the truck and drove off, the chief said.

The officers followed the truck and attempted to stop it. Officers then “reported shots were coming from that vehicle towards them,” Thomas said.

Police chased the car and ultimately used a Precision Immobilization Technique, or a PIT maneuver, to stop it. Once the truck had stopped, a man inside the vehicle took another occupant, a female, hostage with a gun, according to the chief.

“Officers believed he had a gun and was threatening to kill this individual,” Thomas said. “Officers continued to negotiate, trying to get him to release the hostage and discard the weapon. He did not do that.”

An officer fired a shot and hit the suspect, injuring him, according to authorities.

“The male did not release control of the female,” Thomas said. “Negotiations continued and they were able to secure both individuals safely.”

The suspect was transported to a hospital where he is in stable condition. The woman who had been held hostage “was also transported with a pretty significant cut to a lower extremity,” which likely came from shattered glass, Thomas said.

The two individuals that were still inside the truck were taken into custody and transported to area hospitals, he said.

Authorities are not yet certain what, if any, role the four people had in the earlier road rage incident.

“We will have to determine their involvement in any particular crime,” Thomas said.

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