Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Fatal Lakewood Crash

LAKEWOOD, CO — A man has been charged with vehicular homicide after two people were killed in a Lakewood crash earlier this month. The man is accused of escaping from police, then running a red light and causing the deadly crash, according to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

William Lloyd Jokay-Szilagji, 27, has been charged with four counts of first-degree assault, four counts of vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft, second-degree assault of a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance, the attorney's office said.

Lakewood police officers responded to a report of a suspicious person May 19 at 12350 W. Nevada Place, according to the affidavit. After arriving at about 1:45 a.m., the officers saw a man wearing all black run up to a Toyota 4 Runner, police said. After Jokay-Szilagji ignored their orders to stop, he jumped into the vehicle and backed into the police car, alternating between a fence and the cruiser to escape, the attorney's office said.

After leaving the parking lot, Jokay-Szilagji turned off the 4 Runner's lights, police said. He then sped east on Alameda and ran a red light, crashing into a Nissan, according to the attorney's office.

Both the driver of the Nissan, 26-year-old Jacob Bowen, and his passenger, 30-year-old Jesse Edmonds, were killed.

Jokay-Szilagji and his two female passengers were injured. As of Thursday, he remained in the hospital.

Jokay-Szilagji's bond was set at $1 million. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office said his court date will be set when he's released from the hospital.