Aurora police on Wednesday identified Dalton M. McCreary, 22, who died after pushing his friend out of the path of a speeding SUV as they were crossing East Iliff Avenue at South Chambers Road on Monday, according to a news release from the police department.
A 1998 Toyota 4Runner driving east on Iliff at a high rate of speed ignored a red light and attempted to turn north onto Chambers Road and started to slide. The driver lost control and hit McCreary. The SUV flipped and landed upright in a parking lot. The driver attempted to drive away, but the SUV mechanically failed before the vehicle made it out of the parking lot.
Jordan Mulumulu, the 24-year-old who was with McCreary, told investigators that just before the impact, McCreary pushed him out of the SUV’s path, saving his life, according to the news release.
Aurora police also identified the driver of the SUV as Christopher O’Neil Tarr, 41, of Aurora, who was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
He was released Wednesday on $50,000 bail.
In 2010, Tarr was arrested in Aurora on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
A photo red light system installed at the intersection captured the crash with video and photos, which have been turned over to the district attorney’s office as evidence, according to the news release.
A GoFundMe page set up for McCreary’s memorial service describes McCreary as the primary caretaker for his grandfather.
“Dalton was constantly putting everyone else before himself even in his last moments on this Earth,” the website states. “Nothing made Dalton happier then to see those around him happy.”
