A Colorado resident is facing serious charges, including four counts of attempted murder, following an alleged road rage incident on US Highway 285 in Jefferson County. The suspect, Matthew Impellitari, 56, is accused of shooting a woman in the head during the altercation that took place on Tuesday.
On Friday, a judge set Impellitari’s bond at a staggering $1 million, a decision made after prosecutors advocated for a high bond due to the severe nature of the crime, according to a report by KMGH. Deputy District Attorney Amanda Becker emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “It is a miracle [the victim] is still alive at this point.”
The incident came to light when the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office initially responded to what was thought to be a single-car accident around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. However, the situation escalated as new information revealed that the incident involved road rage and shots being fired, with a passenger in the vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
According to an affidavit submitted in court, the driver of the crashed vehicle recounted to deputies that he had consumed a beer while driving swiftly on the highway. He admitted to overtaking two slower vehicles occupying the left lane, which seemingly triggered a change in behavior from another driver. The driver anticipated that this vehicle would overtake him in the right lane, while the victim was seated in the front passenger seat during this tense encounter.
An affidavit filed in the case said the driver of the crashed car told deputies he had a beer while driving along the highway and that he had been driving fast, passing two slower-moving cars that were in the left lane, KMGH said. When he passed the second car, he said, he “noted a change in the driver’s behavior.”
“(That) vehicle moved to the right lane to pass and (the driver) expected it to fly past him,” he told investigators. “(The victim) was in the front passenger seat. ”
The driver said he heard two gunshots and tried to get his passenger’s attention, but she didn’t respond. He told detectives he thought she was dead and decided to follow the suspect, who turned off the highway. The other driver tried to follow but crashed on a rock, the affidavit said.
Deputies and medics arrived on the scene and the woman was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
The suspect vehicle was not at the scene, but deputies soon located Impellitteri walking alone about 300 feet from the crash site. He told deputies he had just arrived home and that he drove a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle. Deputies found that vehicle parked behind a fence on the property.
Another resident at the home told the deputies that it was unusual for Impellitteri to park ther because he usually “parked in the driveway in front of the garage.” The resident also showed deputies that recordings from the home’s surveillance system had been deleted between 6:57 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. She said she recalled hearing Impellitari arrive home around 7 but didn’t seem him. She did say she heard the “commotion” on the nearby highway, the affidavit said.
She further told deputies that Impellitteri has a concealed carry permit and keeps a gun in his car’s glovebox.
Detectives later obtained a search warrant for the home and found the deleted videos from the home security system. Those videos showed Impellitteri arrive home, park his car, and walk into the basement. When they searched the home, they found a bag with a handgun and magazines underneath a folded blanket on a mattress.
Impellitteri is due in court again on November 20.
