Given these images, not to mention all the evidence left behind, the man's decision to rabbit seemed pointless -- and indeed, it delayed the inevitable for only a short time. The Denver Police have now arrested the appropriately named Mark Skipper, 53, for the crime. Continue for photos, video and details.
Around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, as we reported, a man lost control of his vehicle, a Saab station wagon, near the bus stop at East Colfax and Josephine Street, where a number of people were waiting for a pick-up. The Saab hopped the curb and hit a reported three victims. One man's leg was impaled by a piece of flying wood; an orthopedic surgeon who just happened to be getting a haircut nearby helped care for him until emergency personnel arrived.
Shortly thereafter, still and video images of the man dismounting from the Saab and splitting on foot surfaced -- and more surveillance footage captured the scene as well. Here's a shot of a trash can flying after being smacked by the Saab....
...and this shot shows the man moving away from the crash site: Finding the suspect didn't prove to be a lengthy process. Yesterday afternoon, the Denver Police Department tweeted this message....BREAKING: An arrest has been made in connection with hit/run at Colfax/Josephine. No photo released until after photo line-ups.
— Denver Police Dept (@DenverPolice) July 31, 2013
...followed by this one:
BREAKING: The suspect arrested in connection with yesterday's hit/run is Mark Skipper (DOB: 08/06/59). A tip led to the arrest.
— Denver Police Dept (@DenverPolice) July 31, 2013
According to 9News, Skipper is well acquainted with the legal system, having racked up a slew of drug and robbery charges, plus one for vehicle theft, over the years.
He isn't thought to have swiped the Saab, though. Instead, its owner reportedly loaned the ride earlier in the day.
We understand that one of the three people hurt in the crash remains hospitalized in serious-but-not-life-threatening condition. Meanwhile, Skipper seems to be done skipping for the foreseeable future.
Here's a 9News about the arrest, followed by (update, 12:25 p.m. August 1) he's just released booking photo and our previous coverage.
Continue for our previous coverage of the East Colfax/Josephine bus stop hit and run, including photos and video. Original post, 5:51 a.m. July 31: New, tougher hit-and-run laws are meant to dissuade drivers who get into an accident from rabbiting. But the urge to flee can be overwhelming, even when the odds of it helping are practically nil.Case in point: A triple-injury hit-and-run incident at an East Colfax bus stop yesterday, in which the driver ran, literally, even though he was captured on cell phone photos and videos doing just that. Get details and see the images and footage below.
The Denver Police Department notified its Twitter followers about the accident, which took place at around 2 p.m., via this message....
HEADS UP: Auto-Ped accident at Josephine and Colfax. The suspect vehicle struck at least 4 people at the bus stop.
— Denver Police Dept (@DenverPolice) July 30, 2013
...followed shortly thereafter by a photo of the vehicle in question:
According to 9News, a man lost control of the vehicle, a Saab station wagon, near the bus stop at East Colfax and Josephine Street, where a number of people were waiting for a pick-up. The Saab hopped the curb and hit a reported three victims, the total contradicting the tweet above. Injuries are described as serious but not life-threatening, with one man being impaled through the leg by a shard of wood sent flying by the Saab's impact. Before emergency personnel arrived, he was cared for by an orthopedic surgeon who happened to be getting a haircut at a barber shop mere steps away. Meanwhile, the Saab's driver dismounted and began moving away from the crash site, much to the chagrin of those nearby. One bystander snapped this photo.... ...while another began rolling video. In the brief clip, someone is telling the man to "sit down." Instead, he takes off running.Of course, the car remained behind -- and even if it wasn't the driver's, it's presumably got fingerprints aplenty that can supplement the visual evidence collected long before law enforcers began processing the clues left behind.
Here's the aforementioned witness footage, followed by a 9News report.
More from our News archive circa June 2012: "Tim Albo faces new challenges as hit-and-run bill he inspired becomes law."
