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Colorado State Patrol Arrests Albuquerque Man Accused of Carjacking Good Samaritan at Gunpoint
A 36-year-old Albuquerque man is accused of crashing his car, then stealing a passing motorist's BMW at gunpoint when the driver stopped to help. Troopers tracked the vehicle through southern Colorado and used a tactical intervention to end the pursuit south of Pueblo.
A man accused of stealing a good Samaritan's vehicle at gunpoint after crashing his own car was arrested following a multi-agency pursuit through southern Colorado, the Colorado State Patrol said.
According to a Colorado Springs Police Department report, the suspect crashed his vehicle in the eastbound lane of Lake Avenue around 4:50 a.m. When a passing motorist stopped to help, police say the man stole that person's vehicle at gunpoint and drove away.
Colorado Springs police notified the State Patrol that the BMW had been taken and asked troopers to be on the lookout. Troopers later spotted the vehicle on Highway 165, east of Colorado City.
According to law enforcement, the driver headed toward Interstate 25 and sped south before turning north near milepost 65, north of Walsenburg. Pueblo County Sheriff's Office deputies joined the response, and one deputy deployed stop sticks north of Colorado City. Despite damage to the vehicle, the suspect kept going north until troopers used a Tactical Vehicle Intervention south of Pueblo, bringing the pursuit to an end.
Troopers took the driver into custody and identified him as 36-year-old Reggie Clark of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was booked into the Pueblo County Jail on charges of vehicular eluding and driving with a suspended license in connection with the pursuit. Additional charges related to the carjacking could be recommended in Colorado Springs.
The case highlights the risks faced by residents who stop to assist strangers on the road, and the coordinated response among Colorado Springs police, state troopers and Pueblo County deputies that ended the pursuit without reported injuries to the public.