A 37-year-old man named Juan Barreneche of Riveira Beach, Florida, had an eventful day on Monday. According to WFOR-TV, Barreneche began the day in the Morgan County, Colorado jail after being arrested on Sunday night for allegedly trespassing at a hotel. By 4:00am, however, Barreneche had posted a $1,000 personal recognizance bond and was back on the streets.
But not for long.
According to Fort Morgan police, around 5am, Barreneche approached the driver of a truck apparently at random and asked for a ride. When the driver of the truck refused, Barreneche beat up the driver and took his keys. The driver, however, was still in possession of his wits enough to jump into the bed of the truck as Barreneche drove away, and called 911 from the bed of the truck to report the incident.
He may have regretted this action, however, as Barreneche reportedly fled from police across Northeast Colorado at speeds reaching 108mph. Police were eventually forced to use stop sticks to deflate the vehicle’s tires, and eventually arrested Barreneche between Otis and Yuma.
Police said that the owner of the vehicle was not “seriously injured,” but noted that the incident “could have been much worse with the driving behavior [of Barreneche].”
In a statement to the Denver Post, police chief Loren Sharp said, “It is always frustrating to see individuals with repeated law enforcement contact released from the detention center only to commit crimes against persons a short time later.”
Barreneche is now being held without bond on charges of robbery, second-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, reckless endangerment, assault, and other charges. Barreneche has not yet been charged with kidnapping because it is not clear if he knew that the vehicle’s owner was in the truck when he fled.