In the afternoon hours of a Thursday in Aurora, Colorado, a sequence of events unfolded that would culminate in a tragic and untimely death. It began when a police officer on a motorcycle observed a white BMW sedan traveling at a high rate of speed, clocking the vehicle at 84 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone on northbound Interstate 225. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver of the BMW, later identified as 25-year-old Don Mai Phan, chose to flee.
Phan’s attempt to evade the officer led him on a dangerous path, weaving through multiple lanes of traffic before he took the exit for Iliff Avenue. Continuing to speed eastbound, his reckless driving reached a devastating climax at the intersection of South Blackhawk Street. There, he ran a red light, violently crashing into a red Honda Civic that was making a left turn. The force of the impact was so severe that the Honda was split in half, and its driver, a 25-year-old man, was killed at the scene.
The aftermath of the collision left a scene of destruction, with debris from the crash striking two other vehicles that were stopped at the intersection, though fortunately, the occupants of those cars were unharmed. Phan and a 26-year-old male passenger in his BMW sustained only minor injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Following the crash, Don Mai Phan was taken into custody by the Aurora Police Department. He faces serious felony charges, including vehicular homicide and eluding police, in addition to misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and speeding. The investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing.
