Armed carjacking suspect wounds deputy after Highlands Ranch pursuit

An armed carjacking suspect who prompted a bulletin from Arapahoe County led Douglas County deputies on a pursuit that ended near County Line Road and Santa Fe Drive, leaving a deputy injured and a suspect hospitalized. The Littleton Police Department is handling the active investigation.

Just after 8:30 p.m., Douglas County deputies located the vehicle identified in the Arapahoe County alert in the Highlands Ranch area and initiated a pursuit that concluded near the county border. During the encounter the suspect rammed a Douglas County deputy, injuring him, then fired at deputies. One deputy returned fire. The suspect driver was struck, taken to a local hospital and treated. A passenger in the vehicle was taken into custody on outstanding warrants.

At a press conference, Douglas County officials said: “Our deputies were on the frontline protecting the Douglas County Community and this entire area as a whole. They were working hard to identify the suspect vehicle, and they were able to locate that vehicle. Of course, once the pursuit ensued, they did everything they could to resolve that quickly without anyone getting injured. It was the suspect who made the determination to drive like he did, drive over to this area and attempt to kill two of our deputies.

The suspect began firing from the inside of his vehicle, trying to kill our deputies, so again were very fortunate that it wasn’t more serious than it was.”

The deputy who was struck was transported to a hospital and is expected to recover. Authorities have not released the identities of those involved or details about the carjacking that prompted the alert. Littleton Police Department, which is leading the probe, described the matter as an active investigation and said it will release additional information when appropriate.

For residents of Douglas County, the incident underscores how quickly investigations that cross jurisdictional lines can unfold in neighborhoods along county borders. The case involved coordination among the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County deputies and Littleton detectives, reflecting routine interagency cooperation in the Denver metro region. The pursuit ending near County Line Road highlights how major thoroughfares can become scenes for violent encounters that affect bystanders and first responders alike.

Community members can expect updates from Littleton police as the investigation proceeds and charges, if any, are determined. In the short term the sheriff’s office emphasized the swift actions of deputies and said the outcome would have been more severe but for their response. The ongoing inquiry will determine what led to the carjacking alert, the sequence of events during the pursuit, and any criminal filings that follow.