© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
'Paranoid' driver accused of intentionally crashing pickup truck into​ police station 'in order to be heard': Video
Composite screenshot of Grand Junction Police Department and Inside Edition YouTube videos

'Paranoid' driver accused of intentionally crashing pickup truck into​ police station 'in order to be heard': Video

A Colorado man is now facing a slew of serious charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly crashed his pickup truck into a police station lobby on purpose.

At 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, a gray 2007 Chevrolet Silverado came barreling through the glass entryway of the police station in Grand Junction, Colorado. Grand Junction police shared surveillance footage of the shocking crash from their YouTube account:

In the moments following the crash, an armed police officer can be seen entering the lobby and barking instructions at the driver. The suspect, 45-year-old Nathan David Chacon, followed orders and was immediately arrested. Though at least 11 employees were in the area just beyond where the truck eventually came to a halt, no one, not even the suspect, had been injured in the incident.

The probable cause affidavit, written by Officer Bryce Raber, offered interesting details which help give more context to the incident. In the last few years, Chacon has made "at least 90" calls to the department regarding "strange happenings," which ultimately turned out to be "unfounded," the affidavit stated. According to Raber, Chacon had apparently become "frustrated" with the lack of response from police in recent days, swearing at officers over the phone and then hanging up on them.

After Chacon was taken into custody, he reportedly waived his Miranda Rights and began speaking with Raber without an attorney present. During that conversation, Chacon allegedly claimed that he had intended to drive out of Grand Junction that day, but he changed course because he was "being followed" by several cars, causing him to become "paranoid."

"[The suspect] advised when he drove into the parking lot, he did not want to be killed, so he chose to drive into the lobby," the affidavit continued. "As Nathan told me this, he advised he knew it was dumb but he knew what he needed to do in order to be heard."

After reviewing security camera footage of the crash, Raber insisted that "it was evident that 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 bullet proof window panes."

Typically, Raber said, the lobby has several local residents inside it seeking assistance from police for various reasons. Fortunately, no one was there at the time of the crash, though several of the benches stationed in the lobby to accommodate such visitors were destroyed. The affidavit estimated that the crash caused anywhere between $100,000 and $1 million in damages.

Chacon has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault in the first degree with extreme indifference, attempted vehicular homicide by reckless driving, vehicular assault while driving in a reckless manner, criminal mischief in the amount of more than $100,000 and less than $1 million, and reckless endangerment. He is currently being held in Mesa County Jail on $250,000 bond. It is unclear when he is next scheduled to appear in court.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?