No criminal charges will be filed against a Colorado State Patrol trooper in connection with a fatal crash in Longmont that stemmed from an April vehicle pursuit, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Longmont resident Mason Farnsworth, 16, was killed in the April 23 crash in which a car collided with a tree near 21st Avenue and Francis Street.
In a news release, the DA’s Office stated the investigation by the Critical Incident Team for the 20th Judicial District found “under applicable Colorado law, no criminal charges can or should be filed” against Trooper Tim Kridel.
The multi-agency Critical Incident Team investigates fatalities in which law enforcement uses physical or deadly force in the course of official duties, according to the release. The Colorado State Patrol did not participate in the investigation, according to the DA’s office.
Evidence showed that Kridel initiated a tactical vehicle intervention, or TVI, and had reason to believe Farnsworth was “driving a stolen car, fleeing from police and that the stolen car might contain weapons,” according to the news release.
“Farnsworth attempted to accelerate out of contact with Trooper Kridel’s police vehicle and flee from the police. It is clear from all the evidence in this investigation that the intended consequence of the TVI was to end the pursuit by forcing the stolen car to come to a stop in the roadway rather than engaging in a high-speed chase in a residential area of Longmont,” the DA’s office stated in the release. “Instead of the car turning counterclockwise to a stop as intended, because Mr. Farnsworth accelerated out of the spin, the car slid sideways across the road and collided with a tree on the driver’s side door.”
Kridel’s use of force was reasonably necessary for the arrest of a fleeing suspect, according to the release.
“Mr. Farnsworth’s death was tragic. It happened so quickly and, although the trooper’s conduct was legally justified under Colorado law, this brief encounter ended Mr. Farnsworth’s life and will forever impact his family,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated. “Whenever a person dies from an interaction with law enforcement, the family and our community deserve a thorough investigation. For that reason, I truly appreciate the exhaustive work of the multi-agency Critical Incident Team.”
Because of Farnsworth’s age and the age of a passenger in the vehicle, the DA’s office is not sharing specific details about Farnsworth’s history or the name of the passenger. However, it did reveal that Farnsworth was a runaway at the time of his death.
The DA’s office met with Farnsworth’s family and members of the Critical Incident Team on Tuesday to share the results of the investigation, according to the release. The detailed findings and the video presentation prepared by the Critical Incident Team can be found here.
Dougherty and members of the team will be available at 3:30 p.m. Friday to discuss the findings with the community. Questions can be submitted in advance to [email protected]. The link to join the meeting is tinyurl.com/yavxk5ge. Community members also can call into the meeting at 720-400-7859 and use conference ID 13798519#.