The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday identified a man suspected of walking out of an apartment where a homicide occurred before stealing a police car and causing a major crash in Colorado Springs over the weekend.

Osemeke Uwadibie, 31, was arrested Sunday, two days after he was allegedly involved in a crash that closed Interstate 25, on suspicion of first-degree murder. He has since been booked into the El Paso County jail without bond.

It all started when a man, later identified as Uwadibie, approached another person Friday night in a parking lot on the 200 block of East Arvada Street and asked for a ride, Colorado Springs police said. When the person refused, the man allegedly grabbed him and brandished a knife. The person was able to pull away and subsequently called 911.

While officers were en route, the man allegedly went into an apartment, where a homicide occurred. Police have not yet released details concerning the killing.

One of the responding officers was confronted by the man, who had since left the apartment, according to the report. The man reportedly assaulted the officer, who fired their duty weapon at the suspect. 

The officer suffered minor injuries.

Uwadibie allegedly got into the officer’s marked police cruiser, the report said, and raced down Arvada Street before getting onto southbound I-25.

Other Colorado Springs officers joined the pursuit, during which the suspect crashed into multiple vehicles, according to the report. The stolen cruiser became disabled on I-25 north of the South Academy Boulevard exit.

At that point, officers were able to place the suspect in custody and he was transported to a local hospital, the report said.

The sheriff’s office is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, per statute, while Colorado Springs are investigating the homicide and crash.

The scene of a murder investigation was still under investigation at an apartment complex at Arvada and Nevada Ave. on Saturday morning, May 14, 2022.

Jerilee Bennett