GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — A Denver police sergeant has been arrested on multiple charges, including DUI, after allegedly driving an unmarked police car through the scene of a fatal crash on Interstate 25.
On Wednesday around 8:30 p.m., officers with the Greenwood Village Police Department were working at the scene of a multi-vehicle fatal crash on northbound Interstate 25, just north of the exit for Arapahoe Road. Seven vehicles were involved in the crash. Two motorcyclists — later identified as Jerry Essex, 32, and Alexander Djanfada, 25 — died from the crash, according to Crystal Dean with the police department. At the time of the crash investigation, all northbound lanes of I-25 were closed to traffic and multiple police had activated their vehicles’ red and blue lights, according to the Greenwood Village Police Department.
While investigating, police saw a dark-colored Chevy driving toward the crash site.
The driver of the Chevy somehow got onto the highway from the northbound onramp, despite the full closure, according to the Greenwood Village Police Department and an affidavit for the man's arrest.
Police were able to stop the driver, who told them he worked for the Denver Police Department. He was later identified as Bryce Robert Jackson, a sergeant with the Denver Police Department.
Police with Greenwood Village recognized signs that Jackson may have been intoxicated, so they began a DUI investigation.
They found Jackson was in possession of a handgun and had open containers of alcohol inside the vehicle. They also discovered that Jackson was driving an unmarked Denver Police Department car at the time, according to the Greenwood Village Police Department.
Though he denied drinking any alcohol, he refused sobriety tests at the scene and then refused a chemical test after being taken into custody, according to an affidavit.
Officers wrote in the affidavit they found an open pint-sized bottle of alcohol that had been partially consumed. They also found a .380 caliber handgun in a backpack in the backseat.
Jackson was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, prohibited use of weapons, careless driving and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
He was booked into the Arapahoe County Detention Center.
The Denver Police Department said that Jackson was on an "offline assignment" while the investigation is pending.
"Sgt. Bryce Jackson has been with the Denver Police Department since 2004 and was assigned to patrol. Sgt. Jackson has been placed in a offline assignment pending the outcome of the investigation conducted by that agency. Per DPD policy, once the investigation concludes, our internal affairs unit will conduct their investigation along with oversight from the office of the independent monitor," said department spokesperson Jay Casillas.
No other details were available regarding the crash as of Monday morning. It remains under investigation.