[06-16-26] Suspected Drunk Driver Accused of Hitting 3 Pedestrians in Downtown Denver

DENVER — A driver accused of hitting three pedestrians — and dragging one under his car for half a block — in downtown Denver early Sunday morning had an “extreme level of intoxication” and was arrested, according to police records.

The driver, identified as Cesario Serrato, 56, was arrested, but has not been formally charged. Court documents show he is being held on a charge of vehicular assault. The Denver District Attorney’s Office will make a final determination of criminal charges.

This case started just before 2:30 a.m. on Sunday near Larimer Street and 20th Street. Officers with the Denver Police Department responded to a call about a crash in that area, according to a probable cause statement Denver7 obtained Monday morning.

Police learned that Serrato had been driving his silver 2015 BMW 650 with an expired temporary license plate tag at the time of the incident.

He left a parking lot at 2000 Larimer Street, turned southwest and drove through a red light, where he struck three women between the ages of 19 and 24, who were all walking in a crosswalk and had the right of way, according to the probable cause statement and an update from Denver police.

Two of the pedestrians were “thrown” by the impact, and a third — a 21-year-old woman — was “pulled underneath the vehicle and dragged approximately half a block” until Serrato stopped in traffic, according to the document and DPD spokesperson Doug Schepman.

Schepman told Denver7’s Colette Bordelon that officers were already downtown to manage the late-night crowds, so police were able to get to the scene quickly.

“Officers and bystanders had to lift the Defendant’s vehicle from the passenger side to free (redacted) from underneath,” the probable cause statement reads.

One of those bystanders was Xavier Thomas, who has called Denver home for about 16 years.

“He blew past me, ran over my foot, bumped me, and then I just (saw) him hit the two girls, and my instincts just kicked in,” he said. “I chased after him, not knowing that she was actually under the car at first, and so he stopped at the next light, only because there was a couple of people in front of him.”

At that light, officers surrounded the car and took him into custody, Thomas said. He remembered hearing people screaming “She’s under the car.”

“All of the cops came together, and we lifted the car to get her out, and thank God we got her out in time, because we don’t know how long she would have been under there if that light was green,” he said.

All three of the women were transported to a hospital, Schepman said. Two of the pedestrians had internal injuries, but other details about injuries were redacted in the document.

After police took Serrato into custody, they learned that he had a revoked driver’s license, according to the probable cause statement.

“The Officers that contacted the Defendant also noted that he appeared to be intoxicated,” the probable cause statement reads. “The Defendant had bloodshot watery eyes, was slurring his speech, could not understand instructions, and had a strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath.”

Serrato was transported to a hospital “due to his extreme level of intoxication,” the document reads. Once he was cleared, he was brought to the Downtown Detention Center.

On Monday, his bond was set at $50,000 cash-only, per the Denver County Court database.

“Impaired driving is preventable,” Schepman said. “It’s avoidable. There are so many alternatives to driving impaired: a sober friend, a ride share, public transportation, a taxi. There’s really no reason to get behind the wheel impaired. We see the results of what impaired driving can do. These are life-altering injuries and experiences for the people involved.”

Thomas said he feels traumatized after witnessing the incident and helping to free the woman from under the car.

“I’ve been praying, actually really been praying, for her every night,” he said. “I say a prayer for her, and I hope she really does recover from that, because nobody deserves to go through that… It’s just not right what he did, because now she has to look back on this her whole life.”

He said he is not looking for credit for helping.

“I’m not looking for none of that,” he said. “I’m just glad that she’s OK, and that’s it.”

Per Colorado court records, Serrato had been ticketed by the Glendale Police Department in February 2026 for driving under restraint, failure to display proof of insurance, and possession of marijuana in an open container in a vehicle. He was also ticketed by the Aurora Police Department for DUI in 2021, in which he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired.

According to DPD, DUI-related crashes are down 15% over this time last year in the City and County of Denver.

Denver7 is working to learn more about this case. This story will be updated.

Source : Denver 7 

(Credit : ABC News)