Male suspect hospitalized after felony traffic stop, vehicle fire in…

A male suspect was hospitalized early Saturday morning after a felony traffic stop in Longmont led to him setting his own vehicle on fire.

Robin Ericson, a spokesperson for Longmont Public Safety, said a Longmont officer had been working a vehicle crash near Third Avenue and Main Street at 2:25 a.m. when they saw a white Oldsmobile sedan slowly drive westbound through the intersection, running a red light. The sedan kept driving slowly, making multiple U-turns, and at one point after being stopped at an intersection on Main Street, the male driver revved the sedan’s engine and began speeding toward the officers. There was also a female in the passenger seat.

After speeding past officers northbound on Main Street, another officer observed the sedan’s rear license plate and found that it was a stolen plate, but an investigation later found the vehicle wasn’t stolen and belonged to the driver. Near Longs Peak Avenue and Main Street, the officer tried to stop the sedan, Ericson said. The driver started to slow down, but continued driving slowly around downtown Longmont, making multiple turns and U-turns.

Dispatch told police the driver of the vehicle had called and stated he didn’t believe they were real police officers and he refused to pull over, according to Ericson. After stating he would meet officers at the police department, he proceeded to drive past it, then turned southbound onto Main Street and eastbound onto Ken Pratt Boulevard, where he ran several more red lights, ignored traffic signals and wove in and out of lanes.

An officer placed stop sticks at East Ken Pratt Boulevard and Third Avenue, and the driver hit them, causing all four tires to deflate, said Ericson. But he continued driving eastbound on Ken Pratt Boulevard, crossing through multiple parking lots, driving over curbs and making an illegal turn across a median.

After pulling out of the parking lot at Longs Peak Hospital onto East County Line Road and then turning eastbound on Ken Pratt Boulevard, the sedan started to smoke and came to a stop in the westbound lanes facing eastbound traffic, Ericson said. Officers initiated a high-risk vehicle stop, commanding the suspect to exit the vehicle and using chemical agents and a K9 to try to get him out, but they were not successful. The passenger started to come out of the vehicle after police issued several commands, but the driver barricaded himself in his vehicle for 57 minutes.

Around 3:30 a.m., the driver started lighting a handheld lighter and initially appeared to be lighting a cigarette, but officers soon noticed he was trying to light objects on fire inside the vehicle. By 3:39 a.m., the sedan was fully engulfed in flames, but the driver still refused to exit at first. The driver exited the vehicle at 3:40 a.m., ran toward a Longmont officer, and was released to a hospital for medical treatment.

Police are drafting a warrant for the driver’s arrest, according to Ericson, and they confirmed that the driver’s status was suspended. The incident remains under investigation.