GOLDEN, Colo. (Apr. 27, 2026) – Tyler James Young has been sentenced to 13 years in the Department of Corrections, followed by a mandatory three-year term of parole, after pleading guilty to charges related to motor vehicle theft, eluding officers, and second degree assault.
On September 11, 2025, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, and Clear Creek County responded to the Walmart in Evergreen on a report of a stolen Ford F-150 after the registered owner of the truck had tracked the vehicle to that location.
Officers located the stolen vehicle and observed a male, later identified as Young, enter the vehicle and leave the parking lot. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, at which point Young drove into marked patrol cars, injuring a CSP Trooper. During the encounter, a CSP Trooper discharged their firearm. Young was not injured and continued to flee.
A pursuit ensued as Young drove eastbound on I-70 at a high rate of speed (over 110 mph), and a tactical vehicle intervention (TVI) was performed to stop the truck, which caused it to lose control and go into the runaway truck ramp. Young was compliant upon arrest and was taken into custody, where he has remained since.
It was later determined that the stolen vehicle was a work vehicle carrying hazardous radioactive materials, which resulted in the prolonged highway closure. There was no information to indicate that Young was aware of the hazardous materials or attempted to access them while in possession of the vehicle.
On March 30, 2026, Young pleaded guilty to the following charges:
Count 1: 1st Degree Motor Vehicle Theft (F3)
Count 3: Vehicular Eluding (F4)
Count 4: 2nd Degree Assault (F4)
Counts two and five through eleven were dismissed as a result of the plea.
Young was on probation at the time of the offense in Gilpin County case 21CR132 and is pending revocation in that case, as well as new law violations in Gilpin County case 24CR2079.
At sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Corey Fluke argued for a 13-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed under the plea agreement. Fluke argued that Young posed a danger to law enforcement and the public, and that his prior opportunities to remain in the community failed to deter him.
“This is a man who drove into patrol vehicles and then continued recklessly through rush-hour traffic in a stolen truck transporting hazardous materials. He is very lucky no one was seriously injured or killed,” stated Fluke.
District Court Judge Jason Carrithers sentenced Young to the maximum allowed under the plea.
Count 1: 13 Years
Count 3: 12 Years
Count 4: 12 Years
All counts ran concurrently to one another & concurrently to any other cases.
The investigation by the Colorado Incident Response Team (CIRT) and the decision letter related to the officer involved shooting remain pending.
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