ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. – The two bystanders killed in a high-speed chase on early Wednesday morning in Littleton, Colorado, have been identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner.
Jayne Frances Davicsin, 25, and Ryan Scott Carter, 27, were both killed after a suspect sought by authorities T-boned the bystanders’ vehicle at the intersection of South Santa Fe Drive and West Mineral Avenue.
The suspect in the crash, 20-year-old Deanna May Bixby, was seriously injured in the crash but was taken into custody on three active warrants as well as pending charges related to Wednesday's incident.
Bixby was driving a Mitsubishi Lancer sedan that was spotted along with a Jeep Grand Cherokee by a deputy who suspected both drivers were involved in vehicle prowling, as the area had seen a rash in vehicle break-ins over the last couple of years. Both vehicles were reported stolen, according to Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock, who provided an update on the case earlier Thursday.
Spurlock said that the officer began following the two stolen vehicles but focused on the Jeep as it moved north. The officer initiated a traffic stop, but the driver of the Jeep took off, driving erratically as the suspect led authorities on a pursuit.
At the same time, Spurlock said Bixby, in the stolen Mitsubishi, was several miles ahead of the first pursuit driving northbound at a high rate of speed in the southbound lanes of South Santa Fe Drive when she was spotted by another deputy, who began to chase the Mitsubishi. However, dash-cam video shows the pursuing deputy was not able to catch up with Bixby’s car, which Spurlock said was exceeding speeds of 100 mph.
The driver of the stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee, who Spurlock said was the target of the original pursuit, eluded capture and remains at large. The Jeep was later found abandoned.
Spurlock said investigators are still looking into the cause of the crash and called the incident a tragedy.
