AURORA, Colo. — A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly speeding through an Aurora intersection and fatally striking another driver while trying to evade a traffic stop.
Don Mai Phan, 25, of Aurora, was booked into the Aurora Municipal Detention Center around 7 p.m. Thursday for vehicular homicide and vehicular eluding, both felonies. He was also arrested for misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and speeding.
Denver7 Traffic
Police: Victim killed after speeding driver crashes into vehicle on Iliff Ave.
Lieutenant Chris Amsler with the Aurora Police Department's Traffic Investigations Unit said an APD motorcycle officer was performing speed enforcement on northbound I-225 near Yale around 2 p.m. Thursday when he spotted a white BMW sedan going 84 mph in a 65 mph zone.
The officer pulled out to stop the BMW for speeding, but the driver reportedly did not stop. Amsler said the BMW drove on the left-hand shoulder, then crossed all three lanes of traffic to exit the interstate at Iliff.
The BMW driver — identified as Phan — was heading eastbound on Iliff when he ran a red light and struck a red Honda Civic that was making a left-hand turn from Blackhawk Street to go westbound on Iliff.
The force of the crash split the Honda Civic in half, according to Amsler. The rear end of the Civic struck a third car that was stopped in the left-hand turn lane to go southbound on Blackhawk, as well as a fourth vehicle that was stopped and waiting to go westbound on Iliff.
- Watch our initial report on the crash below
The motorcycle officer arrived 30 seconds after the crash and took Phan and his passenger — a 26-year-old man — into custody without incident. Amsler said the two were cooperative and were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
The driver and sole occupant of the Honda Civic — a 25-year-old man — was pronounced dead at the scene, according to APD. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office will release his identity at a later time.
No other injuries were reported.
APD said the crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
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