A manhunt for two men who fled from police Thursday night east of Bayfield came to some resolution Friday with the arrest of one suspect.
The man, who police did not identify, was seen by a police helicopter about a mile from the pair’s abandoned vehicle. The man raised his arms as if to surrender, and the police helicopter landed and took him into custody, said Dan Bender, spokesman with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
The second man remained at large Friday night.
Rangers with the U.S. Forest Service experienced in tracking planned to resume the search this morning.
The incident began about 6:30 p.m. Thursday near the Archuleta-La Plata county line on U.S. Highway 160. A trooper attempted to stop a Toyota Highlander pulling a trailer for driving without illuminated headlights.
The driver led troopers on a chase up First Notch Road (Forest Service Road 620) in the Beaver Meadows area.
At a certain point, the snowy road became impassable to the State Patrol vehicles following it.
Troopers heard what sounded like multiple gunshots in the distance.
They later located the trailer about seven miles up First Notch Road. The two-wheel trailer was detached from the Toyota and set ablaze. It contained ammunition and incendiary devices, which is the likely cause of the gunshots heard Thursday night, Bender said.
Police said the suspects detached the trailer and set it on fire to create a roadblock for pursuing officers.
The trailer was about a quarter mile from a house. A tactical team made sure the house was secure and escorted a resident to the home.
The road has no way out this time of year, so the State Patrol set up a perimeter and resumed the search Friday morning.
The Toyota Highlander was found about a mile farther up the road. It also was set on fire.
Police were unsure why the men fled the traffic stop, but the Toyota and the trailer are believed to be stolen, Bender said.
“We’re looking to see if there was perhaps some illegal activity going on related to firearms or ammunition,” he said.
The remaining suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous with a silver or shiny gun, Bender said. He is in a remote location with only one home in the area, so the public is not considered to be at risk, he said.
Multiple agencies assisted the State Patrol, including the Farmington Bomb Squad, which inspected the trailer for explosives, and the San Juan County, N.M., Sheriff’s Office, which provided the helicopter.
shane@durangoherald.com
