He was heading north on Colo. 93, just short of its intersection with Colo. 128, when the driver shifted partially into the oncoming lane on July 22, according to Colorado State Patrol.

It was around 5:30 p.m. that Tuesday when August, of Northglenn, and his friend crashed head-on with an SUV. The car August was in spun off before hitting another SUV. The second SUV connected with August’s side of the car.

August was sent to Boulder Community Health while unconscious, said his mother, Amy Soto. She was about to head into an Orange Theory gym to teach a class when she heard from August’s friend’s father that the boys were in a crash. She said the friend’s father told her, “It doesn’t look good.”

“It was the worst call I’ve ever gotten,” Amy said. “As a parent, that’s like the biggest nightmare you can think of.”

August’s friend was sent to a hospital with minor injuries and is OK now, Amysaid. According to CSP, the two other drivers — neither of whose cars had any passengers — suffered minor to moderate injuries and were not sent to a hospital.

Amy immediately tried to get to her son. She got stuck in traffic on Colo. 93 trying to reach him — the road had been blocked because of the very crash her son was in. She got to the hospital but had to wait for the OK to see him.

At the hospital, a medical team put August into a medically induced coma. He had suffered a traumatic brain injury, bruised his lung and endured three spinal fractures, Amy said.

He was later transported to another facility , put on a ventilator, then slowly taken off it the next day. It wasn’t until about three days after the crash that August started to wake up — for only about a minute at a time, at first, his mother said.

He was unable to retain memories yet because of the brain injury. He was paranoid and in disbelief about what happened to him that Tuesday. But he was awake and slowly becoming coherent again.

One week after the crash, August was reading again, writing again, remembering again. By this Wednesday, Amy said, “he’s doing amazing.” August would even be able to ease his way back into school this fall, she said.

That does not mean, though, that recovery will be an easy process. He may look OK, Amy said, but TBIs affect what’s underneath. August’s personality hasn’t yet come back, she added.

TBIs can be debilitating when serious. Amy said August’s medical team said his injury landed between “moderate” and “severe.” It will take a year before his full road to recovery can be assessed; it will also take that long to gauge how full the recovery can ever be, she said.

However, he’s doing better than he could have been, Amy said.

“We are very blessed,” Amy said during only the third time she’s spent more than a moment away from August since 6:30 p.m. July 22. She’d taken one meeting with medical staff, been to the gym once for about 45 minutes and spoken to the Daily Camera.

“I could barely look at my phone,” Amy said of her time up until this Wednesday. “It’s been probably one of the most traumatic experiences we’ve had as a family.”

Besides those three brief times, she has lived, eaten and slept in that hospital room with August.

August, who is the second youngest in a family of five boys. August, who is a state-qualifying wrestler for Broomfield High School. August, who has played football, rugby, and track and field. August, who spends his winter mornings before school shoveling snow out of neighbors’ driveways. August, who, just two days before the crash, went on a fishing trip in the Leadville area with the same friend who was driving him home that night.

Amy said August has built a community around him that has shown out in droves to support him. “Every teacher, every person loves him,” she said. Friends’ mothers have dropped off food — August’s friends have offered to do the Sotos’ yard work. High school students are donating their own money, Amy said, to a GoFundMe meant to help the Sotos pay August’s medical bills.

August’s best friend, Josh Hanes, started the fundraiser imploring folks to “Support August Soto’s Road to Recovery.” By Wednesday — the day the two boys were supposed to be going to Florida for vacation — it had surpassed $14,000 in donations.

To support August, Amy will have to miss work for an extended period of time, she said. The fundraiser will help the family support August through his recovery process.

“I’m honestly blown away,” Amy said of the outpouring of support she has seen. “And I’m not one to ask for help.”

Now, August is focusing on two things, Amy said: going home and wrestling again. The medical team has told the Sotos he might be able to go home in a couple of weeks — though that has not stopped August from trying to bribe his visitors to get him out of there sooner.

Wrestling, though, may not be as simple. The family doesn’t know yet how August’s TBI will affect his ability to compete, but the prospect of being unable to wrestle scares him, Amy said.

That’s been particularly hard for the teenager. It’s been “since he was literally in diapers that he was on the mat,” his mom said.

For now, though, the Sotos are trying to keep things steady and prepare for the road to recovery and rehabilitation. They are not dwelling over whose fault the crash may have been, the cause or anything else besides August.

“Our goal is just to make his life as consistent as possible right now,” Amy said.

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Daveon Javon-James Jackson was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, careless driving resulting in death, hit-and-run and failing to report a crash, Aurora Police Department spokesperson Joe Moylan said in an email to The Denver Post.

Aurora officers responded to the hit-and-run crash at 11:18 p.m. Friday near East Wesley Drive and South Dunkirk Street.

When officers arrived, they found a 16-year-old with serious injuries, police said. The teen had been riding a scooter in the bike lane when he was hit.

Paramedics took the unidentified 16-year-old to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Numerous tips from the community helped officers identify the suspect vehicle — a blue 2014 Dodge Charger, Moylan said. From there, traffic and patrol officers were able to trace the car back to Jackson.

Jackson has not yet been charged, and no court date was available Sunday morning.

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Shots were fired near an Aurora apartment complex in the 1000 block of Cimarron Circle shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the police department.

When officers arrived, they found two women had been shot, Aurora police said in the release.

A 26-year-old woman died from her injuries at the scene, police said. Paramedics took the second victim, a 30-year-old woman, to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office will identify the 26-year-old victim.

Investigators believe the shooting started as a domestic violence incident and that the people involved knew each other.

Police are working to identify a suspect who left the scene of the shooting before officers arrived. As of Sunday morning, no suspects had been publicly identified and no arrests had been made.

Denver police are investigating two separate shootings that wounded four.

Three people were shot near Sixth Avenue and Knox Court in the city’s Barnum neighborhood, Denver police said Sunday in a 4:23 a.m. post on social media.

All three victims are expected to survive, but no suspect information was available Sunday morning.

Another person was shot in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood, near 19th and Little Raven streets, according to a 1:40 a.m. post from the police department.

Information on the extent of the victim’s injuries was not available Sunday morning. No suspects have been publicly identified or arrested.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Denver officers are also investigating an unrelated homicide in the 2200 block of Glenarm Place, according to a Saturday evening statement from the police department.

Additional information, including how and when the victim died, was not available Sunday morning.

The victim will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner. 

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Aurora officers responded to the crash on northbound I-225 near Parker Road at about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the police department.

Paramedics took one victim, an unidentified 62-year-old man, to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries, police said.

He will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

The man was attempting to cross the highway’s northbound lanes from east to west in heavy traffic when he was hit by a vehicle and run over by a second, police said.

Both drivers remained on scene after the crash.

Investigators do not believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.

Northbound I-225 was closed for roughly 2 hours overnight during the crash cleanup and investigation, reopening at about 2 a.m. Sunday, police said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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The man was with two others on the Eleven Mile Canyon Reservoir when a storm rolled in at 1 p.m. Friday and blew the group into the water, state officials said in a news release.

The park is near the community of Lake George off of U.S. 24, about 40 miles west of Colorado Springs.

One person was wearing a life jacket and was able to swim to shore, and rangers rescued a second paddleboarder who was wearing a life jacket and tethered to a board.

The man’s body was recovered by Parks and Wildlife’s marine evidence recovery team late Friday after an 11-hour search, state officials said. He was not wearing a life jacket.

“CPW strongly encourages recreationists to wear a life jacket while boating, kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming in Colorado,” state officials said in a news release.

“Weather conditions can change quickly at the park with sudden, strong wind gusts, and visitors are encouraged to check weather forecasts before heading outdoors.”

The Park County coroner’s office will release the man’s name.

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Officers responded to the crash near East Wesley Drive and South Dunkirk Street at 11:18 p.m. and found the teen with serious injuries, the Aurora Police Department said in a news release.

He was taken to a hospital and died a short time later.

Investigators found the teen was headed north on East Wesley Drive when he was hit by a vehicle driving in the same direction.

The vehicle sped away after the crash and likely went north on South Dunkirk Street toward East Jewell Avenue, Aurora police said.

No one witnessed the crash, but neighbors said they heard a vehicle with a loud exhaust in the area at the same time.

Aurora police are asking residents to check doorbell and other security cameras for any recordings of  the vehicle between 11:15 and 11:20 p.m. Friday.

Anyone with information about the crash may contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

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1 killed, 1 injured in I-25 hit-and-run in Denver

One person was killed and a second was injured in a hit-and-run crash early Saturday morning on a northbound Interstate 25 ramp, Denver police said.

The Denver Police Department first posted about the crash on social media at 1:33 a.m. Saturday and said it happened on the northbound I-25 ramp at Speer Boulevard.

The suspect vehicle flipped on the ramp and the driver ran from the scene and is still at large, police officials said. A passenger in that vehicle was found injured several blocks away and pronounced dead at the hospital.

One person in the vehicle that was hit was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The northbound highway was closed several times Saturday morning for the crash investigation and reopened at 9:50 a.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Westminster pedestrian killed in hit-and-run early Saturday

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in the 8200 block of Sheridan Boulevard early Saturday morning, Westminster police said.

Officers were called to the crash just after 6:30 a.m. and found a man dead near the road, the department said on social media. 

The driver returned to the scene shortly before 9 a.m. and was arrested.

Investigators are still interviewing people and looking into the crash, and anyone with information about the case can contact the Westminster Police Department at 303-658-4360.

The victim’s name will be released by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Aurora teen on scooter killed in hit-and-run crash

A 16-year-old Aurora boy was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding a scooter in a bike lane late Friday night, police said.

Aurora Police Department officers responded to the crash near East Wesley Drive and South Dunkirk Street at 11:18 p.m. and found the teen with serious injuries, according to a news release.

He was taken to the hospital and died a short time later.

Police determined the teen was headed north on East Wesley Drive when he was hit by a vehicle driving in the same direction.

The vehicle sped away after the crash and likely went north on South Dunkirk Street toward East Jewell Avenue, Aurora police said.

No one witnessed the crash, but neighbors said they heard a vehicle with a loud exhaust in the area at the same time.

Aurora police are asking residents to check doorbell and other security cameras for any recordings of the vehicle between 11:15 and 11:20 p.m. Friday.

Anyone with information about the crash may contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

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Rafael Alberto Buitrago, 65, was killed while walking his dog the night of April 3 when Michael Graham-Hyde, 73, crashed into him near East Wesley Drive and East Caspian Circle and fled the scene, according to court records.

Graham-Hyde told police he had been awake for 38 hours after returning from an overseas trip and was asleep at the wheel when he hit Buitrago and the couple’s dog, Nova, according to an arrest affidavit.

He got out of his SUV, saw Rafael Buitrago and “panicked,” choosing to drive away when he saw another car coming because he thought the other driver would stop and help, police wrote in the affidavit.

Buitrago was pronounced dead at the hospital, and Nova was killed instantly, police said. Graham-Hyde turned himself in seven hours later after seeing a Nextdoor post of his car and learning that Rafael Buitrago was killed.

“Why did he have to wait?” Luz Buitrago told The Denver Post this week. “Seconds make a huge difference in this particular situation. If he had called 911, maybe my husband would be in a wheelchair and he would be with me.”

Graham-Hyde pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a class 3 felony, on Monday, according to court records. The charge includes a potential prison sentence of four to 12 years, though probation is also possible.

The plea deal dropped an additional charge of careless driving resulting in death from his case, court records show.

Rafael Buitrago was a beloved member of his community, Luz Buitrago said, particularly for the kindness and respect he showed every person he met. He worked in accounting and was active in community service through the couple’s church.

While Luz Buitrago said she knows Graham-Hyde didn’t intend to kill her husband, she’s frustrated by the possibility that he may be sentenced to probation and that Aurora city officials have not taken steps to make the street where Rafael Buitrago died any safer, such as adding a speed bump.

“We have to respect other people’s lives, and they have to change the law,” she said. “Probation is unacceptable.”

In a statement, Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby said the city’s public works team reviewed traffic data after the crash and found there were not any speeding-related crashes in the area in the last three years.

After a 2022 traffic study that found most drivers were speeding at 37 to 42 mph along East Wesley Drive, public works crews installed curb extensions at a trail crossing and push-button flashing crosswalk signs, he said.

“The city urges all drivers to put their phones down, stay focused on the road, and follow traffic laws,” Luby said in a statement. “The decisions made while driving can have lasting and life-changing consequences.”

Graham-Hyde is scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing on Sept. 29, according to court records.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Francisco Zapata-Pacheco on Thursday afternoon, an unnamed agency spokesman said Friday. Earlier that day, an ICE agent fired three bullets into a vehicle in which Zapata-Pacheco was a passenger, after the vehicle attempted to hit agents as it fled a “targeted enforcement operation” in Colorado Springs.

The vehicle’s two occupants then abandoned it and fled on foot, ICE said yesterday. No one was injured in the incident.

The driver of the vehicle, identified by ICE as Jose Mendez-Chavez, is still at large. The ICE spokesperson said in a statement that Mendez-Chavez has been deported six times before.

ICE stated in its release that Mendez-Chavez had been convicted of child abuse and domestic violence, but The Denver Post was not able to independently confirm that. A man with the same name pleaded guilty in 2019 to reckless endangerment, court records show, after being initially charged with misdemeanor child abuse.

Zapata-Pacheco has no criminal record in Colorado, according to a records search.

According to the Colorado Rapid Response Network, ICE attempted to stop the vehicle at a Colorado Springs construction site. One other person was briefly detained in the area but was released, the group said.

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The unidentified man was found at 11:40 a.m. and was pronounced dead after life-saving efforts by an emergency medical team, the agency said in a news release. No other identifying details about the man, including his age, were released.

His death will be investigated by the Denver Police Department, and his name and cause of death will be released by the medical examiner’s office.

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