Five people were injured when the driver of a stolen semi-truck “deliberately” rammed into vehicles in Colorado before being arrested Sunday, authorities said.
A Fort Morgan cop was among the injured as the tractor-trailer led authorities on a wild chase and forced officers to open fire on the rig in an effort to stop the rampage, police said.
“He was definitely aiming at people. I don’t know if it was in desperation to get away or he decided he was going to take people with him,” Morgan County Sheriff Jim Crone told the Associated Press. “He wasn’t trying to scare people. He was trying to hurt people.”
The chase started Saturday at around 10 p.m. when the stolen semi was being pursued in Logan County and then barreled through the communities of Brush and Fort Morgan, Crone said.
Officers fired at the truck at least twice and possibly up to four times, Crone said. The suspect was struck in the head and arm by bullet fragments, but kept on driving, he said. The driver attempted to run down a Fort Morgan police officer during the rampage, according to FOX31 Denver.
The suspect then jumped from the rig and rain into a house where he was taken into custody, authorities said. The suspect was treated for his injuries and booked into jail.
“He wasn’t trying to scare people. He was trying to hurt people.”
The man wasn’t immediately identified. He was described by police as a man in his late 20s to early 30s and was known to law enforcement.
Ten vehicles were damaged, including four cars that were destroyed, Crone said. None of the reported injuries were series.
“We are just extremely fortunate no one was hurt worse or killed by the time this was over,” Crone said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.