Two Die After 120-mph Sheriff's Pursuit in Weld County

Two men died and a woman was injured early Sunday when a vehicle pursued by a Larimer County sheriff's deputy at speeds exceeding 120 mph crashed in rural Weld County.

Just after 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 1, a deputy spotted a vehicle missing lights and a license plate near East 57th Street and North Garfield Avenue in Loveland. The driver turned off all lights and sped away before the deputy could initiate a traffic stop.

Deputies pursued at speeds exceeding 120 mph on northbound I-25, exiting at Mountain Vista and continuing east on Vine Drive before the vehicle crashed near Pheasant Crest Drive and Weld County Road 84.

The vehicle struck a power pole and rolled, ejecting two occupants. One was pronounced dead at the scene; the other died at a hospital. A woman was extricated and hospitalized.

The sheriff's office emphasized: "Deputies did not make contact with the vehicle or use any intervention techniques prior to the crash." The LCSO CRASH Team and Forensics Unit processed the scene. The Weld County Coroner's Office will identify the two men.

The incident raises questions about pursuit safety policies. Fort Collins Police Policy 314 states that "Vehicle pursuits expose the public, officers, and fleeing suspects to risk; safety of public and officers takes priority over immediate apprehension."

Many agencies limit high-speed pursuits to violent felonies or imminent threats, requiring supervisors to terminate chases if danger to the public outweighs the need for immediate apprehension.

The pursuit crossed jurisdictions—from Loveland onto I-25 into Weld County—where Colorado "fresh pursuit" rules and inter-agency coordination typically apply. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office has not released its written pursuit policy.

Residents can request LCSO's pursuit policies and incident files through the county's records office at [email protected] or via the county records request form.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office thanked Colorado State Patrol, Timnath Police Department, Fort Collins Police Services, Poudre Fire Authority and UCHealth ambulance crews for their assistance at the crash scene.