A man and a woman suspected of vehicle theft led police on a 15-minute chase through residential neighborhoods Sunday in Durango.
The pursuit started at about 4:15 p.m. in town after someone reported seeing a man checking parked cars for unlocked doors, said Sgt. David Griggs, with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
A sheriff’s deputy who happened to be in the area spotted the vehicle and stopped it. But the license plate didn’t match the description of the vehicle, a blue 2015 Ford Explorer, Griggs said.
During the traffic stop, the car sped away, he said.
Griggs was unsure of the exact route, but he said the car traveled on Colorado Highway 3, down to South Camino del Rio, north on Roosa Avenue, up to Forest Avenue, back to Roosa Avenue and up Tech Center Drive, where it crashed through a gate.
The driver, Javonnis Knox, 18, was arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, trespassing and driving under the influence of marijuana, Griggs said. A male passenger also was arrested on suspicion of trying to break into cars, but that case is expected to be handled by the Durango Police Department.
The chase reached speeds of 50 mph in residential neighborhoods, so deputies discontinued the pursuit and turned off their overhead lights, he said. But neighbors kept pointing deputies in the direction of the vehicle, and officers were able to keep an eye on its whereabouts, he said.
The Ford Explorer was reportedly stolen out of Kansas, Griggs said. Investigators plan to execute a search warrant on the car Monday morning.
shane@durangoherald.com
