Two people were killed in a multi-car accident on Harmony Road and Boardwalk Drive Thanksgiving morning.
Around 3:35 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, Fort Collins Police Services received a call of a suspected burglary near 2900 South College Avenue when a pawn shop alarm was activated. Officers determined that a vehicle rammed the front entrance to gain entry into the store. Firearms were reportedly stolen from the shop, according to a press release from FCPS.
In a minute-long video posted on the FCPS Twitter, FCPS Media Team Member Brandon Barnes said police received a call of a suspicious vehicle with firearms inside it parked near the intersection of Arctic Fox Drive and Caribou Drive. Officers tried to make contact but the vehicle fled and officers did not pursue.
Video statement regarding the collision at Harmony and Boardwalk this morning. pic.twitter.com/iZ7N8QVud0
— Fort Collins Police (@FCPolice) November 22, 2018
Shortly after, the fleeing vehicle caused a collision at the intersection of Harmony Road and Boardwalk Drive. The car then veered off the roadway and into a nearby business, killing a father and daughter.
The Larimer County Coroner’s Office identified the victims of the crash as John Nees, 55, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and his daughter Nicole Nees, 38, of Fort Collins.
The driver of the suspect vehicle, Marcos Orozco, 19, was taken into custody by police.
During an investigation conducted by FCPS Collision Reconstruction and Scene Handling, the team determined that the suspect vehicle involved in the collision is the same vehicle that was used in the pawn shop burglary earlier that morning.
The firearms in the vehicle were also determined to have been taken from the shop. The suspect vehicle had recently been stolen from Weld County.
Orozco was arrested on multiple outstanding arrest warrants including second-degree burglary, vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft and violation of bail bond conditions.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with the most recent information.
Delaney Allen can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @DelaneyAllen0.
