NEWS

High-speed chase ends in wanted felon's capture

Cassa Niedringhaus
cniedringhaus@coloradoan.com

A wanted felon led sheriff's deputies on a chase that reached speeds of 85 mph through Fort Collins and ended in a crash Tuesday, all while a woman and her child rode in the car.

Christopher Grabowski

Christopher Andrew Grabowski, 22, was on the Fort Collins "most wanted" list for failure to comply with charges relating to aggravated robbery with a weapon.

He eluded Fort Collins police twice when they tried to stop him for traffic violations earlier in the day, according to a news release by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

Court records show Grabowski drove through a field and at high speeds through Fort Collins to elude police officers who attempted to stop him in the 3400 block of Lochwood Drive at about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. Officers in Greeley attempted to stop him again on the 400 block of 35th Avenue later in the day, but he fled again, according to court records.

In both instances, the officers did not pursue Grabowski.

Fort Collins police notified surrounding agencies to be on the lookout for Grabowski, Fort Collins police spokeswoman Kate Kimble said.

About 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, a LCSO deputy saw Grabowski driving near Mulberry Street and Interstate 25. When the deputy attempted to stop Grabowski, the man drove away. The deputy pursued Grabowski south on I-25 and west on Prospect Road as he ran red lights and reached speeds of 85 mph.

Deputies deployed spike strips in the roadway near Specht Point Drive, near the sheriff's office and jail, but Grabowski continued driving on flat tires. He ran a red light at Prospect Road and Riverside Avenue and crashed into a truck turning left on a green light, investigators said. The driver and passenger in the truck were transported to Poudre Valley Hospital for further evaluation of minor injuries and were later released.

After the crash, deputies learned that a woman and her child were in Grabowski's vehicle. The unidentified woman reportedly pleaded with him during the chase to stop, but he told her to calm down and shut up, according to court records.

When their vehicle crashed, the child reportedly said "Mommy, mommy my chest" and complained about difficulty breathing. The mother and child were evaluated by medics on scene and released.

Fort Collins police did not pursue Grabowski when he fled from them twice earlier in the day because he did not pose an imminent threat to the community, Kimble said.

According to the FCPS policy manual updated earlier this year, "vehicle pursuits expose innocent citizens, law enforcement officers and fleeing violators to the risk of serious injury or death." The manual reminds officers that the immediate apprehension of a suspect is generally not more important than the safety of the public and pursuing officers.

In the past, LCSO has declined to publicly define its pursuit policies, citing tactical privacy. A deputy was cleared after an April 2015 pursuit from which he disengaged seconds before the suspect — an impaired 19-year-old Fort Collins man — crashed into a tree along Harmony Road, near College Avenue. The man was killed instantly.

A Coloradoan request for LCSO's pursuit policy following that incident was denied, as the sheriff's office cited law exemptions under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act. Individual jurisdictions have ultimate control over how much they share about their policies.

As it does with all pursuits, the LCSO is conducting a review of Tuesday's chase.

Grawbowski was arrested on suspicion of failure to comply with robbery charges, two counts of vehicular eluding and two counts of second-degree kidnapping.

He remains in custody in the Larimer County Jail and is due to appear in court Thursday.