A 33-year-old man from Greeley, identified as Jose Sambrano, was declared clinically brain dead on Thursday and removed from life support, four days after sustaining severe injuries while attempting to evade arrest.
Sambrano passed away shortly after his family made the difficult decision due to his dire prognosis. He had been under intensive care at a local hospital since the Sunday prior, following an incident where he ran a red light in a stolen truck and collided with another vehicle.
According to a press release from the Greeley Police Department, moments before the collision, Sambrano had fled from a police officer who recognized the stolen truck and attempted to stop him.
The stolen vehicle, a red 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup, was reported missing by its owner on Sunday evening. The owner was dragged by the truck and sustained serious injuries when Sambrano drove away with it, as stated by the Greeley Police Department.
Four hours later, Sambrano resisted an officer’s attempt to conduct a traffic stop and sped into the intersection at 8th Avenue and 20th Street. The truck collided with a Cadillac SUV, which had a man, woman, and child inside. All three occupants were injured and taken to a hospital but are expected to recover fully.
Further investigation revealed that Sambrano was suspected of committing a burglary in the 2200 block of 8th Avenue shortly before the attempted traffic stop. The burglary had not yet been reported, although the homeowner was present but unharmed.
Online criminal records show that Sambrano had 25 traffic, misdemeanor, and felony cases since 2009. He had previously been convicted as a habitual traffic offender and was sentenced to time in the Colorado Department of Corrections for a felony trespass two years ago. Sambrano had also been arrested 10 days before the fatal accident on a theft charge.