Off-Duty Officer Who Fired Gun During Road Rage Incident Being Called A 'Subject'
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Golden police say it will be several days before any decision on charges is made after a bizarre incident Sunday that shut down Highway 6 for several hours.
Police say some kind of road rage incident played out in Clear Creek Canyon between a driver and a motorcycle rider, but really escalated when the group approached the 19th Street intersection and an off-duty officer interjected himself.
"At this point we're trying to determine what exactly occurred," said Cpt. Joe Harvey with Golden Police said.
Central City Officer Patric Stanton witnessed the road rage and called 911 but then got out of his car and approached 31-year-old Jeremy Golden on his motorcycle in the street. Some kind of altercation took place and a shot was fired, hitting the motorcycle's gas tank and then the bullet ricocheted into the handlebar. Golden sustained minor injuries to his hand.
"The police officer is responding to what he saw as a reasonable threat, the motorcyclist was involved in a road rage incident," Harvey said.
"We're really calling both individuals in this case 'subject,'" Harvey added. "We have to determine exactly what went wrong, what kind of criminal charges would be appropriate, and looking at those interviews will help us determine that."
Officer Stanton is now on paid administrative leave. Golden told CBS4 he has been advised not to talk to the media by his attorney. The third driver has not been identified by Golden Police, but did remain at the scene and has been interviewed.
The Jefferson County Critical Response Investigation Team is also investigating because an officer was involved. That team is made up of members from multiple agencies in the county.
CBS4 has learned the gun used was brought in as evidence but it wasn't clear Monday if the gun had been returned to Officer Stanton. Central City officials would not comment on if the gun was department-issued or a private firearm.
The Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training Board manual requires at least one hour of plain clothes/off-duty training for certification.
"Some officers are going to inject themselves into a situation like what we just had, some may maintain the idea of just being a good witness. It doesn't mean one is right or wrong it just means you need to respond with the proper level of authority," said Harvey.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
