Colorado man intentionally drove pickup truck into police department lobby 'in order to be heard': police
By Adam Sabes | Fox News
Police in Colorado are accusing a man of intentionally driving his pickup truck into the lobby of a police station on Tuesday in an attempt to "be heard."
A Grand Junction Police Department spokesperson said Nathan Chacon, 45, drove his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado into the lobby of the police station on Wednesday afternoon at around 12:30 p.m., adding that "miraculously" no individuals were hurt.
An arrest affidavit states "there was no hesitation, stopping, or slowing before the truck turned directly towards the main lobby doors, accelerated and drove through two sets of metal doors with bulletproof window panes."
At the time of the incident, eleven employees were working behind the windowed walls that stopped the pickup truck from causing any more damage or harm to the building and its occupants.
The police officer who wrote the arrest affidavit said the pickup tuck plowed through several benches in the lobby that are used for citizens who are waiting to either "report being a victim of a crime or obtain assistance of any kind from the Police Department."
"Luckily no one had been utilizing the benches or was in the lobby at the time of this crash, which would be normal activity on a weekday around 1230," the affidavit states.
Chacon told investigators that he thought he was "being followed" by several cars after leaving his home on Wednesday morning, adding that he "became paranoid of these vehicles and began making erratic turns and turning down side streets in order to avoid these vehicles."
The man told investigators that he "chose to drive into the lobby" because he didn't want to be killed, but did so in order to "be heard," the affidavit states, adding that Chacon "knew it was dumb."
Chacon is being charged with attempted first degree murder, attempted first degree assault, attempted vehicular homicide-reckless driving, attempted vehicular assault, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
According to the document, records show that "there are at least 90 calls for service involving Nathan over the last few years where he is reporting strange happenings that have been unfounded."
"Some of these calls for service in the recent days leading up to this event insinuate a pattern that Nathan was becoming frustrated with Deputies as he would hang up on them and swear at them over the phone," the affidavit states.
In total, police say that damage to the department's lobby, entrance doors and bulletproof window panes are estimated to be valued over $100,000 but less than $1,000,000.
Chacon is being held at the Mesa County Detention Facility in Grand Junction, Colorado.
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