Suspect arrested in connection with Loveland road rage incident in Trinidad – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Trinidad police arrested the suspect Friday evening in connection with a road rage incident in the southern Colorado community of Loveland.

An arrest warrant had been issued against the man after he fled a traffic stop by police in Loveland and was suspected of shooting two different drivers.

The suspect, Justin Vanpelt, allegedly fled a traffic stop on South Taft Avenue on July 21 after an officer noticed that his Toyota Sequoia did not have a visible license plate.

The officer decided not to pursue the driver further, citing the “erratic behavior of the suspected driver and public safety.”

But less than 15 minutes later, a driver near Hahns Peak Drive on US 34 called 911 to report that he had been shot at from another vehicle matching the description of Vanpelt’s vehicle.

Shortly thereafter, another 911 caller said the driver of a similar vehicle shot at them on Interstate 25 near Dacono.

On July 23, an arrest warrant was issued against Vanpelt.

After Trinidad police arrested him, detectives from the Loveland Police Department traveled to Trinidad to question Vanpelt and collect evidence related to the Loveland shootings.

Based on their new information, investigators met with the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office on Monday and the prosecutor’s office filed amended charges against Vanpelt.

He is currently facing two charges of attempted murder – extreme indifference, a Class 2 felony; and illegal discharge of a firearm, fleeing from a vehicle, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, all Class 5 felonies. He also faces two enhanced crimes of violence and additional charges in Trinidad include possession of a weapon by a previous offender, a Class 5 felony; identity fraud, a Class 6 felony; prohibited use of a weapon, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and providing false information to police, a Class 2 misdemeanor.

A female passenger who was believed to have been with the suspect at the time of the shooting due to the aggression behind the wheel is no longer of concern, police said.