By Suzie Ziegler
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — A Colorado man is facing a slew of charges after he broke into a police station while intoxicated, stole a patrol car, led police on a pursuit, crashed and pulled a knife on deputies before he was taken into custody, reported KDVR. Yet what really stands out is that the man responded to a 911 call in the stolen patrol car, police said.
The chaotic incident began just before 3:30 a.m. Monday when Jeremiah James Taylor, 33, broke into a Park County Sheriff substation and stole a marked cruiser, according to KDVR. While in the cruiser, Taylor heard a domestic violence call come in on the radio. The 911 callers later told police that Taylor arrived at their home, apparently intoxicated, and asked, “Where’s the old man that’s going to shoot someone?” Taylor also identified himself as a Park County deputy, the sheriff’s office said.
When real deputies arrived to answer the call, Taylor sped off, police told KDVR.
“One of my biggest concerns was that we were going to have a high-speed pursuit with a law enforcement vehicle crashing into an innocent citizen,” said Sheriff Tom McGraw.
Deputies caught up with Taylor about two hours later and initiated a high-speed pursuit when Taylor refused to pull over. Taylor eventually crashed and ran into the woods armed with a knife, the report said. Deputies chased him down and used a TASER to bring Taylor into custody.
At least one shot was fired; it’s unclear if Taylor was hit, but he was hospitalized with self-inflicted knife wounds, according to KDVR. No deputies were injured.
Taylor is now facing a long list of charges including:
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Aggravated motor vehicle theft
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Vehicular eluding
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Impersonating a peace officer
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Obstruction
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Resisting arrest
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Reckless endangerment
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Second-degree burglary
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Reckless driving
The incident remains under investigation.