ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- A sheriff's deputy and an auto theft suspect have been injured during the pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Englewood Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the driver of a stolen pickup was shot by the deputy and the deputy was hit and dragged up an embankment and pinned against a retaining wall. The deputy was transported to Swedish Hospital in serious condition. He was identified Thursday as Art Peterson, 52.

The driver was transported to Denver Health but his condition is not known.

The passenger in the stolen vehicle was taken into custody.

The incident began just after 1:30 p.m. when the Jefferson County Regional Auto Theft Task Force got a "hit" on a stolen Ford truck equipped with a LoJack tracking device. The truck was reported stolen in Jefferson County earlier Wednesday morning.

Officers with the task force located the truck in Englewood and followed it to West Dartmouth Avenue and South Santa Fe Drive.

The driver of the pickup truck was traveling south on South Santa Fe when he noticed he was being tailed and made a quick U-turn at Dartmouth, witnesses said.

"He was heading this way on Santa Fe and then turned around," said Nicholas Nabholz, who was driving in the area.

Peterson, who is a part of the task force, got out of his marked vehicle and approached the stolen car. He was hit and dragged about 30 feet underneath the pickup truck, said Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Shires.

"We saw the cop get dragged," said Nabholz. "It was ridiculous."

As the deputy was being pinned against the retaining wall, he fired a single shot into the truck, striking the driver in the back, Shires said.

"The investigator has been around long enough he was able to maintain his calm and composure and draw his duty weapon and fire at least one shot into the cab of that vehicle and injure the driver," said Shires.

Shires said Peterson has been a deputy since 1977 and has extensive experience in auto theft investigations, Shires said.

"I feel bad for the police officers because they lay their lives on the line everyday," said a witness, who asked not to be named.

The Jefferson County Auto Theft Task Force, which was started in July, is comprised of five law enforcement agencies. One officer from each jurisdiction serves on the task force.

Englewood and Denver police were assisting Lakewood officers in the investigation. The pickup ended up on the northeast corner of the intersection.

The intersection of South Santa Fe and Dartmouth was closed for several hours.

Investigators do not want any information regarding the suspects to be released at this time as they are trying to determine if they are involved in a larger auto theft ring.