2 Colorado State Patrol troopers shot and injured during traffic stop; Blue Alert issued
Two Colorado State Patrol troopers were shot and injured while attempting to conduct a traffic stop in southern Colorado, the law enforcement agency said. It happened on Tuesday morning in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, near Woodland Park, in Teller County.
Officials with the Colorado State Patrol said at approximately 7:15 a.m. the troopers were trying to pull someone over on Highway 24 near Piney Point Lane very close to the community of Crystola when the shooting happened.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office said in an online post that the suspect was believed to be a brownish-haired Caucasian man who was driving a blue Subaru Impreza "with license plates not visible through tinted covers." He allegedly drove off after the shooting and law enforcement are now looking for him in the area of Westwood Lakes and Woodland West. They said it's possible he may have ditched the car and may now be on foot.
As a result of the dangerous situation, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a Blue Alert. That alert is sent out when there is a suspect who is not in custody after a law enforcement officer was killed or severely wounded.
A shelter-in-place order was also put into place for residents on Trout Creek Road and Piney Point Lane. The sheriff's office was using a drone to assist with the search in that area.
At about 9:40 a.m. a SWAT team and dozens of other law enforcement officers could be seen in video from CBS Colorado's news helicopter outside of a house located close to Highway 24. An ambulance was at the location and first responders could be seen wheeling someone to the ambulance on a gurney.
One trooper's injuries were described as serious and the other's were described as being minor. Both troopers were being treated at a hospital. Neither has been identified.
The CBI's Blue Alert is seen below:
