A routine traffic stop in Colorado escalated into a high-speed chase and a manhunt. The district attorney says the defendant should have been in custody before the pursuit ever began.
Zakary Dean Hirschfield, 24, of Centennial, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony eluding a peace officer. The chase took place in Douglas County in January, authorities said.
Video released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office shows the nighttime stop, the pursuit through traffic and deputies eventually arresting Hirschfield.
District Attorney George Brauchler said Hirschfield should have been behind bars before he drove off. He said earlier decisions by other law enforcement agencies had created opportunities to detain him before the dangerous incident.
The pursuit started in Castle Pines, where a sheriff’s deputy stopped Hirschfield for speeding. During the stop, Hirschfield suddenly drove toward the deputy, who had to jump aside to avoid being struck, authorities said.
In the video, the deputy is standing beside the vehicle when it suddenly pulls away and speeds down a residential street. The deputy reports over the radio that the driver tried to hit him. Hirschfield’s passenger can be heard screaming as the car takes off, authorities said.
Hirschfield drove through Highlands Ranch and Littleton at speeds above 100 mph, crossing medians and traveling against traffic before crashing into another vehicle, according to authorities. Pursuit footage shows deputies following him along roads with nighttime traffic as emergency lights flash.
His passenger later told deputies she had repeatedly pleaded with him to stop. Instead, authorities said, he left her and the wrecked vehicle behind and ran away.
Dozens of deputies, specialized teams and aerial resources joined the search. A drone and a K9 tracked Hirschfield through a Littleton neighborhood. Thermal footage shows a person moving among trees and brush as the drone follows from above.
About an hour after the traffic stop, deputies found Hirschfield under a porch wearing only his underwear, authorities said. Body-camera footage shows officers approaching a raised wooden structure with flashlights before restraining him on the ground.
“Put your hands behind your back, behind your back,” a deputy tells him.
Authorities said a search of the vehicle turned up cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said Hirschfield had learned that running from deputies would not prevent him from being caught and held accountable. He added that putting officers and the public at risk would not be tolerated.
Brauchler pointed to Hirschfield’s earlier court history as he criticized the decisions that led to his release. In November 2024, an Arapahoe County judge sentenced Hirschfield to probation and community service under a plea agreement that resulted in a conviction for attempted fentanyl distribution, prosecutors said.
His probation was revoked less than three months later, but he was placed back on probation in June 2025.
Prosecutors said another motion to revoke his probation was filed on Aug. 19, 2025. That same day, Hirschfield was released without posting cash bail in Jefferson County on a new felony robbery charge.
Five months later, he led deputies on the high-speed chase.
Deputy District Attorney Zach Idris said Hirschfield put many lives in danger that night. He added that the prison sentence would give him time to reflect on the reckless decisions that led to his arrest.
Brauchler ended with a blunt message: “Commit your crimes somewhere more forgiving, or heck, maybe don’t commit them at all.”
