PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — A sheriff in southern Colorado is speaking out after a plea deal was reached for a man who led law enforcement on a dangerous chase down I-25. The sheriff shared his thoughts to social media on Thursday.
"I’m extremely disappointed in the plea deal and sentencing that took place today as Michael J. Trujillo received a sentence of 18 months of probation for his role in a November 2025 incident that began after he stole a vehicle in Monument, eluded law enforcement in Pueblo County and fired shots at law enforcemennt," Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said according to a social media post. "His actions not only endangered the public, and innocent motorists in his path, but also Pueblo County Sheriff’s deputies, Colorado State Troopers, Pueblo Police and Monument police officers who responded to assist with stopping this suspect."
Trujillo pleaded guilty to vehicular eluding. The crime was carried out in the early-morning hours of Nov. 4 in Monument after police received a report about a stolen truck. Police were able to locate the truck using OnStar, and followed it on southbound I-25 into Colorado Springs. According to authorities, a Colorado State Patrol aircraft unit saw the truck and followed it into Pueblo County where State Troopers in a vehicle followed the suspect as he exited the interstate at Exit 108.
"Law enforcement continued following the truck as it drove into Pueblo West, when Trujillo fired a firearm out the window," the social media post by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office reads. "The law enforcement agencies worked together, while putting their lives at risk, to get this individual to surrender when he fired more gunshots. The Monument officer returned fire hitting the suspect."
The suspect had to be taken by a medical helicopter to the hospital, and learned his fate this week. A fate the Pueblo County sheriff doesn't feel is true justice.
"The plea and sentencing in this case raise real concerns about how serious crimes of this magnitude are being addressed in Pueblo," Sheriff Lucero said. "We take seriously these types of cases, and we work hard to make a good case, following the evidence and it is disheartening to our deputies, state troopers and officers, the victims and the community to see that crimes that pose a significant danger are pled down to lesser crimes and criminals are being given sentences of probation. Our community members and our law enforcement officers who protect them deserve a justice system that reflects the seriousness of these crimes."
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