Man Sentenced To 10 Years For Injuring Arapahoe County Deputy

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO — A man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for injuring a deputy, the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office said.

Diego Gallegos Castorena, 24, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree assault.

Deputies were called to an apartment complex near South Parker Road and East Fremont Avenue on Jan. 22, 2020, after reports of plans for an illegal transaction.

Castorena arrived at the complex in a stolen truck and deputies blocked the vehicle in a parking space, the DA's office said. Castorena then rammed a patrol car and struck a deputy with the truck, prosecutors said. When Castorena backed up towards other deputies, one shot and injured Castorena.

“You don’t get to ram a patrol car and injure a deputy and then just walk away,” said John Kellner, Arapahoe County District Attorney, in a statement.

“This defendant chose to commit a crime and then, rather than surrender, he made things worse when deputies tried to apprehend him. This just shows the dangers law enforcement officers face every day to uphold the law, even when responding to what some claim are ‘low-level offenses.’ ”

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Deputy District Attorney Taylor McCreary prosecuted the case.

“This defendant not only broke numerous laws, but he also chose to endanger the lives of law enforcement officers," McCreary said in a statement. "One deputy was seriously injured; the other saw what happened to his partner and was forced to act.

"The disregard for law and safety shown by this defendant made clear that incarceration was the appropriate outcome in this case.”