Denver Police arrested a suspect for a hit and run that resulted in the death of a Colorado State University graduate.
Adrian Escalante was apprehended on Sept. 13 for hitting and killing CSU alumnus Steven Glade on Aug. 26.
A black Land Rover hit a pedestrian, identified as Glade, on the corner of 20th St. and Blake St. in Denver at 1:55 a.m. on Aug. 26, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney. The Land Rover drove away from the scene without providing aide to Glade or contacting police, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Collegian.
Glade was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering severe head trauma to his skull, according to the affidavit. Glade also sustained bruises and abrasions to his torso.
A bystander who witnessed the accident recorded a video that included the license plate. Later, surveillance video discovered that the vehicle received a parking citation earlier that evening, capturing an image of the driver.
Glade’s older brother, Jim Glade, reached out to CBS Denver 4 on Sept. 6 in order to try to find the driver of the vehicle.
On Sept. 8, an anonymous source identified the man as Adrian Escalante. Surveillance video from the parking citation and a mugshot of Escalante confirmed the identity of the driver.
Glade graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and Spanish, according to an email sent Aug. 29 on behalf of Charles Henry, the chemistry department chair. Glade also worked in a lab testing the safety of marijuana, according to an article from CBS Denver 4.
In the email, Henry wrote about how saddened the chemistry department was at the loss of one of its graduates.
“Steve was a very life- and chemistry-loving student and did several CURC (Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity) projects with the Crans group in the final year winning highest honors,” wrote Professor Debbie Crans, the personal investigator for the research lab Glade worked in during his undergraduate career. “He and his positive attitude will be missed.”
Escalante has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular homicide, according to the news release from the District Attorney of Denver. Escalante is expected to be tried in court on Sept. 27.
Collegian news reporter Julia Trowbridge can be reached at news@collegian.com or on twitter @chapin_jules.
