Charles Hundley
Service Record
Brighton Colorado Police Department
| Rank | Officer |
| Dates of Service | Ended January 2022.[1] |
| Last Known Status | Terminated[1] |
Incident Reports
2021 Deaths of Dulce Castro and Gustavo Mosqueda
On October 26, 2021, Hundley was dispatched to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Hundley found Nicholas Villarini and a passenger, who were sleeping in a stolen car in a residential neighborhood. Hundley gathered the vehicle occupant's information and waited in his patrol vehicle for backup. When another officer arrived and attempted to block in the stolen vehicle, Villarini sped away, with officers in pursuit. Villarini's car struck another vehicle, killing the passenger, Dulce Castro. Villarini continued, and Gustavo Mosqueda was struck and killed.[1][2]
Villarini was arrested on charges including two counts of first-degree murder.[1]
Department policy does not "generally" authorize pursuits for property crimes.[1][3]
The initial interaction and chase were captured on the officer's body-worn camera and dashcam video.[4][1]
Response Timeline
On October 26, 2021, Hundley was placed on paid administrative leave.[5]
In January 2022, an external investigation determined that there was no reason to chase Villarini, as "there was no violent felony crime being committed or other act of violence that required the suspect to be immediately pursued".[1]
In January 2022, Hundley was fired for a lack of concern for public safety and failure to discontinue the dangerous pursuit.[1][5]
In Feburary 2022, the Colorado State Patrol completed its investigation, which has not been publically released.[1]
On May 26, 2022, the District Attorney announced that they would not be filing charges against Hundley.[6]
On December 9, 2022, Villarini pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of DUI vehicular assault.[7]
On January 26, 2023, Villarini was sentenced to 40 years in state prison.[8]
LEO Ratings
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Lori Gliha, Police officer fired after deadly pursuit in Brighton, FOX 31, 2022-03-30
- ↑ Michael Konopasek, Police: Suspect in stolen car flees from police, kills 2 bystanders, FOX 31, 2021-10-26
- ↑ Policy Manual - Vehicle Pursuits, Brighton Police Department
- ↑ What happened before the Brighton police chase that left two dead, FOX 31, 2022-03-30
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Two killed in Brighton crash, FOX 31, 2021-10-26
- ↑ DA Declines To Press Charges Against Officer Following Deadly Pursuit But Finds Decision To Chase 'Deeply Troubling', CBS News, 2022-05-26
- ↑ Plea deal in deadly police chase angers victim’s family, KDVR, 2022-12-09
- ↑ Logan Smith, Driver who killed two people while fleeing police in stolen vehicle sentenced, CBS News Colorado, 2023-02-04
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