COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A woman caught in traffic says she was held at gunpoint and carjacked Monday night on I-270 in Commerce City.
Candice Morrell says drivers were slowing down to capture images and videos of a 26-foot Penske truck on fire off Vasquez Boulevard, which had been reported stolen by a couple moving from North Carolina to Denver.
Morrell was sitting in her car when a man ran towards her; thinking he was injured and needed help she rolled down her window. Morrell said the man started tapping on her windshield with a rifle and ordered her to get out of her car.
“He grabbed my arm with his hand and the rifle was underneath it, and he said, ‘I’m telling you I’m going to kill you if you don’t move out of the way,' and then he said, 'I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you, move,'” Morrell said.
The man got in the car and left her stranded on the highway. Morrell remembers being paralyzed with fear and not comprehending that her life was in danger. Another driver that witnessed the life-threatening encounter offered her a ride.
“I still think I’m processing it. It still doesn’t feel real. I still don’t feel safe,” Morell said.
Surveillance cameras caught the moment the driver crashed, and police patrol cars surrounded the vehicle off Alameda Avenue at Potomac Street in Aurora.
UPDATE: Here is more exclusive video of a crash last night in Aurora involving an alleged Penske moving truck thief. After the truck lit on fire on I-270EB, the driver then crashed in a different vehicle at Potomac & Alameda while being chased by police.https://t.co/mnaFg9LfCc pic.twitter.com/QB2mwWs4pZ
— James Dougherty (@DoughertyKMGH) June 2, 2021
Denver Police arrested Timothy Sutton, 33. Officials said he was also involved in the theft of the Penske truck that caught fire.
Looking at Sutton’s mugshot now, Morrell says there is no question in her mind, he’s the man that threatened her life.
“I’m generally a positive person and like to believe the best in people, and right now it’s hard for me to do that,” Morrell said. “I feel kinda depressed. I lost, like, faith in humanity.”
She estimates the damage to her car is in the thousands.
“Getting it out of impound and seeing it busted up... I’m a single mom, I work really hard,” Morrell said.
She says she’s struggling to sleep and is now easily triggered by sirens; it’s why she left Denver for a few days to stay with friends in Greeley.
“I hope he goes to jail for a long time — long enough to reflect,” Morrell said.
Sutton is facing charges for aggravated robbery with the intent t kill with a deadly weapon.
Morell has set up a GoFundMe to help repair her car.
