Three high school students have been arrested for allegedly throwing a rock at a Colorado woman, killing her while driving outside of Denver, authorities said Wednesday. Alexa Bartell, 20, “was driving northbound in the 10600 block of Indiana Street in Westminster at around 10:45 p.m. on April 19 when a rock was thrown from her windshield and she died ,” according to a statement from Jefferson County Sheriff investigators.
Battelle was one of the last cars “to be struck by a large landscape rock during the storm” at 10 p.m. near 100th Avenue and Sims Street, officials said. Nicholas “Mitch” Carol Cheek, 18, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Quark were detained at their home in Arvada, according to the sheriff.
All three suspects are 12th graders in Jefferson County Public Schools, sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said. One attended Rolleston Valley High School, another attended Standley Lake High School and the third took online classes, according to the spokesperson.
District representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. A rock thrown by the suspect killed Battelle and there was no subsequent crash, officials said.
“The stone went through Alexa Bartell’s windshield and hit her and killed her,” Kelly told NBC News on Wednesday. “The rocks we’ve described in this crime series were all about 4 to 6 inches tall and weighed about 3 to 5 pounds each.
The suspect was in a black 2016 Chevrolet Essaurado, officials said, but it was unclear who was driving or who threw the rock that led to Battelle’s death.
“We believe the vehicle was traveling in the opposite direction from our victim,” Kelly said.
