Two teenage carjackers in Colorado led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a fireball, including two mugshots.
Police arrested 19-year-old Michael Howell McGlynn and Christine Elizabeth Romero on Thursday after they pulled them from the wreckage of a burning 2015 Subaru Forester. The car had previously been reported stolen in an armed carjacking.
Shortly after 4 a.m. this morning, Larimer County Sheriff's Office troopers spotted the SUV idling in a parking lot in Berthoud, but when they tried to stop it at an intersection, the teens drove away.
The dynamic duo quickly accelerated to speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, giving police a hot pursuit, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
When the suspects slowed down as they approached another intersection, officers rammed their vehicle in an attempt to stop them. The Subaru hit a curb, landed on a nearby tree and burst into flames.
Officers quickly pulled Howell McGlynn and Romero from the car and recovered a rifle from the burning wreckage.
They were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries and released a short time later before being booked into the Larimer County Jail.
Both suspects looked completely defeated and down on their luck in mugshots, but Howell-McGlynn, who has tattoos and a mustache, has his head bandaged from forehead to chin and fresh blood on his chest. He was staring at the camera with a gloomy expression on his face. .
But Romero stole the show, glaring at the ceiling as she modeled two-tone curly hair with bangs falling in front of her eyes, metallic silver eyeshadow, and busted, thick lips with a bloody chin.
Commenters on the Larimer County Facebook page criticized the teens' unruly appearance.
“Did you all find 101 Dalmatians in your trunk?!'' I wrote.
“Halloween ended two weeks ago,” said another.
Police charged the driver of the stolen vehicle, Howell McGlynn, with reckless driving, interfering with a peace officer and fleeing the vehicle resulting in bodily injury.
His friend Romero was charged with conspiracy to commit a fourth-degree felony (limited to crimes of violence or crimes involving an unusual risk of harm) and an outstanding warrant for assault on a peace officer.
“This driver's reckless actions demonstrate an alarming disregard for the safety of others,” Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said in a statement.
“Our deputies will continue to protect this community and arrest the dangerous criminals who threaten the lives and property of Northern Colorado.”
