A Greeley man faces four felonies after police say he fled the scene of a crash on foot after driving under the influence, then trying to steal another vehicle to further evade officers.
Police arrested 20-year-old Ricardo Meza-Martinez on Dec. 16 on suspicion of vehicular assault – DUI, vehicular assault – reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury and second-degree attempted motor vehicle theft, according to Colorado court records. He also faces a pair of misdemeanors and a slew of traffic offenses stemming from the incident.
Just after 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 16, Greeley police were dispatched on a report of a traffic crash with injuries to 6th Avenue and 18th Street. When police arrived, they say they saw two heavily damaged vehicles, one with a woman trapped inside and the other empty. Police were able to get the woman out, and she was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries, according to an affidavit for Meza-Martinez’s arrest.
A witness told police that the driver of the empty vehicle was wearing an orange hoodie and jeans and fled on foot down 18th Street toward U.S. 85, according to the affidavit. Police say technicians at the department-run real-time information center located a man matching that description walking in the 300 block of 18th Street.
When police contacted the man — later identified as Meza-Martinez — he was trying to steal a white Ford F-450 truck parked in the 400 block of 18th Street, according to the affidavit.
Once police apprehended him, Meza-Martinez was taken to North Colorado Medical Center to be checked for injuries.
Initial investigation of the crash showed Meza-Martinez was driving a white Chevy sedan in the 500 block of 18th Street when he rear-ended a Dodge neon that had just pulled out of an apartment complex, according to the affidavit. Police say both vehicles traveled roughly 350 feet after impact before coming to rest.
Police then interviewed a witness to the crash, who said Meza-Martinez was driving west on 18th Street at a high rate of speed when he ran a red light at U.S. 85 just before the crash, according to the affidavit.
When police took Meza-Martinez into custody, they say the keys to the Chevy sedan were in his front pocket. Officers could smell alcohol on his breath, his speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet, according to the affidavit. Police also say they found a THC pen in the cup holder of the sedan after the crash.
After he was released from North Colorado Medical Center, Meza-Martinez was taken to the Weld County Jail. He was released the following day on a $25,000 surety bond, according to Colorado court records, ahead of a hearing on advisement at 9 a.m. Feb. 6 in Weld District Court.
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