20-year-old arrested, facing charges of vehicular homicide DUI after fatal crash northeast of Denver metro area

Police have arrested a young man they suspect of driving under the influence and causing a fatal crash just northeast of the Denver metro area overnight.

One person died, and multiple others were injured after Brighton police say a Ford SUV ran the stop sign at Weld County Road 2.5 and Highway 85 around 12:30 a.m. A GMC SUV driving north on the highway struck the Ford, and two of the truck's occupants were ejected in the crash. One of those people was taken to an area hospital for treatment of what authorities said were serious injuries; the other was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities believe the deceased person may have been struck by another vehicle after the initial crash. However, that person did not stay at the scene, and police do not yet have information on that vehicle. BPD reported that another two people inside the Ford ran from the scene on foot.

The occupants of the GMC were also taken to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries, police say. They did not release how many people were inside that vehicle.

Authorities closed the highway for several hours while crews worked to clean up the scene.

Officers say they found the two people who ran from the scene shortly following the crash, both of whom were taken to the hospital for treatment. One of the two, 20-year-old Erik Diaz Olivas, was taken into custody upon his release and booked into the Weld County Jail.

Diaz Olivas is facing multiple charges in connection with the crash, including vehicular homicide DUI, reckless endangerment, failure to display proof of insurance, driving after revocation, failure to remain at the scene of an accident, vehicular assault, failure to use a seat belt, failure to obey a traffic control device, and possession or consumption of alcohol under the age of 21.

Officials said the identity of the deceased will be released by the coroner's office pending notification of the next of kin.

The crash remains under investigation, and police have asked anyone with information on the case to contact the department at (303) 655-8740.