UPDATE: Fountain officer seriously injured after falling from bridge during pursuit of stolen vehicle

Annika Schmidt, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·2 min read

Feb. 3—A police officer was seriously injured after falling from a bridge during a pursuit Thursday night, according to Fountain police.

In a news conference recorded by local TV stations, Fountain Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Schneider said the Colorado State Patrol disabled the vehicle with a "tire deflating device" and the pursuit ended near South Academy and Hartford Street, which is east of Interstate 25.

Schneider said a suspect exited the stolen vehicle, and was trying to evade a Fountain police officer who was also on foot; while attempting to apprehend the suspect, a Fountain officer fell 30 feet from the South Academy Boulevard bridge into the creek bed. South Academy spans over the Fountain Creek near the highway U.S. 85-87.

A video of the incident circulating on social media shows police cruisers pursuing a vehicle on what appears to be the northbound lanes of South Academy. The video then shows the suspect vehicle spin out and crash into a guardrail. Several cruisers following behind crash into the vehicle, and multiple officers exit their cruisers. A person in a hoodie can be seen in the video exiting the suspect vehicle, and appears to climb on top of the car before jumping off in an apparent attempt to flee officers. As the suspect jumps from the vehicle, one officer appears to fall over the guardrail.

Schneider said the officer was taken by a Flight for Life helicopter to a local hospital in "critical condition." As of 10:30 a.m., the officer was in "critical but stable condition" according to a news release from Fountain police.

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Three suspects were taken into custody, Schneider said. Additional information about what charges they could be facing was not provided by police.

Gazette news partner KKTV reported earlier that the incident stemmed from a carjacking.

South Academy was closed between Interstate 25 and Drennan Road as multiple agencies responded to the scene.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.

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