Driver arrested in connection with truck crash

The driver accused of causing Tuesday’s crash on U.S. 287 north of Longmont has been arrested after police said he was driving a stolen truck during the crash.

Mitchell Alberto Verdugo-felix, 34, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault, robbery, aggravated motor vehicle theft, third-degree assault, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.

According to an affidavit, Longmont police were called to 965 S. Hover St. at noon Tuesday after a man said his Dodge pickup truck was stolen while he was inside a business.

An officer in an unmarked vehicle spotted the stolen truck and began following it, while another officer moved to try to intercept the truck at the intersection of Vermillion Road and U.S. 287.

But the driver of the stolen truck, later identified as Verdugo-felix, spotted the officer’s vehicle and ran a stop sign trying to cross U.S. 287 when he was hit by a Ford pickup truck heading south.

Police said Verdugo-felix got out of the stolen truck and tried to get into another vehicle before officers took him into custody.

Colorado State Patrol officials said multiple people inside the Ford were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from serious to minor.

The intersection was closed for several hours while agencies cleared the scene and investigated the crash.

Verdugo-felix was out on bond in two pending aggravated motor vehicle theft cases in Boulder County and one in Weld County. He has a criminal history including menacing and drug cases, according to the affidavit.

He remains in custody at the Boulder County Jail and is scheduled for a formal filing of charges on Friday.

Longmont police are still looking for more possible witnesses to the incident, including the driver of a gold Ford F-150 who was stopped on Vermillion Road facing east at the stop sign when the crash occurred.

Anyone with information is asked to call Longmont police at 303-7744300, ext. 3079.