DENVER — A motorcyclist was killed and a second rider critically wounded when Denver police said a driver of a Honda Civic intentionally pushed the bike into oncoming traffic Sunday evening.
The driver, identified as 45-year-old Diego Ortega-Camero, was arrested after he allegedly attempted to flee the scene on foot.
Two men were on the motorcycle, one of them was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the other remains in critical condition, according to police.
The incident occurred around 7:25 p.m. at the intersection of E. Hampden Avenue and S. Yosemite Street.
Police said that before the collision, the motorcyclist and Ortega-Camero were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into a shooting, where the motorcycle rider allegedly fired at least one shot at Ortega-Camero’s Civic.
According to a probable cause statement, witnesses told police that tensions between the suspect and victims arose earlier at the Cherry Creek Reservoir as the motorcyclist was being disruptive.
After law enforcement was called to the park, the motorcyclist and their passenger took off, but the group was later seen arguing at a nearby intersection, where a shot was allegedly fired at the Civic, the statement read.
It’s not clear if the suspect and victims were known to each other. Many of the details in the police document have been redacted.
Ortega-Camero is being held at the Denver Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.
The victim's identity has yet to be released.
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