Police have identified the alleged driver of a silver 4Runner that plunged off College Mesa in the middle of the night last month near Hillcrest Golf Club in Durango as a 25-year-old Fort Lewis College student.

Tate B. Waukazoo faces charges of reckless driving, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury and failure to report an accident, said Cmdr. Ray Shupe, spokesman with the Durango Police Department.

Waukazoo had until 2 p.m. Tuesday to pick up a summons for the violations, but he failed to do so, meaning a warrant will be issued for his arrest, Shupe said.

The crash occurred early Sept. 24 on Rim Drive, just south of the Hillcrest Golf Club clubhouse. The vehicle was traveling southbound when it left the road and tumbled at least 100 feet down a steep embankment. Police at the scene said the vehicle was 300 to 450 feet down the mountain, but Shupe said a police report said the vehicle was only 100 feet down the mountainside.

Two passengers are believed to have been in the vehicle at the time of the crash. They were identified as Dante Brokeshoulder, 21, and Malcolm Begay, 21, both students at FLC. The passengers are not expected to be charged with a crime, Shupe said.

Waukazoo is suspected of “drifting,” a driving technique in which the driver makes the rear of the car lose traction and skid sideways, while maintaining control of the car.

“It looks like they found what we call yaw marks in the roadway at the scene, which would indicate that the vehicle was in fact drifting,” Shupe said.

Alcohol may have also played a role, he said.

Before the crash, Waukazoo is suspected of driving into a boulder and breaking it in half at the college, Shupe said.

Blood was found at the crash scene, but no serious injuries were reported, Shupe said.

shane@durangoherald.com