AURORA, Colo. — The police pursuit of a burglary suspect who reportedly stole an Aurora Police Department patrol car ended in a crash that partially shut down the intersection of Alameda Avenue and S. Airport Boulevard Tuesday morning.
The Aurora Police Department (APD) was called around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a report of a burglary in a neighborhood off E. Exposition Avenue and S. Peoria Street, APD Deputy Chief Michael Gaskill said in a press briefing.
While officers were investigating that incident, Gaskill said a man, who may not have been involved in the original burglary report, got into one of APD's patrol vehicles and drove off.
An officer who responded to the potential burglary saw the man steal the car and called in backup to pursue him.
- Watch the full Aurora police press briefing in the video player below:
Officers chased the suspect across multiple jurisdictions until about 9:15 a.m., according to Gaskill. The chase ended with an APD sergeant intentionally ramming his car into the stolen vehicle to stop the driver.
The suspect surrendered, Gaskill said. He and the APD sergeant who were involved in the crash were taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out for what Gaskill believed were minor injuries. The man who reportedly stole the APD patrol vehicle was taken into police custody, Gaskill said.
There were no other vehicles or people involved, according to Gaskill, and no additional injuries.
#TrafficAlert WB Alameda at Airport Blvd. is shutdown for a crash and active investigation. We will continue to update this thread.
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) August 19, 2025
The keys of the stolen APD vehicle were not in the ignition, but Gaskill said the anti-theft device in agency patrol cars was not activated.
"It's a process that we have to initiate, and for whatever reason that didn't happen, which is what we'll look into. It could be a variety of reasons why it didn't engage," Gaskill said during Tuesday morning's press briefing.
If the doors of any APD vehicle aren't locked and the key is in an officer's pocket, as was the case Tuesday, someone can drive off in the patrol car.
Westbound Alameda Avenue at S. Airport Boulevard reopened around 10:50 a.m., APD said, a little over two hours after the police pursuit.
