Man In Custody After Officer Witnesses Him Shooting Gun Into The Air
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - A man is in custody after a Longmont officer saw someone driving a pickup and firing bullets into the air.
The incident happened Saturday night near Martin Street and 1st Avenue.
"I heard three shots. And then I looked up to see a truck coming past me and saw four more shots coming out the driver's side window. And the muzzle flashes," said Sgt. John Wederquist of the Longmont Police Department.
He called for backup and was joined by two other officers in what's called a felony stop.
"It's kind of a tactic to get the drivers and the occupants of the vehicle under control as best we can, and call them out one at a time from the vehicle," Wederquist said.
Israel Flores-Alvarez began to approach police with hands raised, but the situation soon become unpredictable.
"But then he put his hands down and started approaching the officers. At one point he turned and grabbed like he was pulling a gun from his hip. Fortunately we could see that he didn't have the gun with him. And then he started yelling at us to go ahead and kill him," Wederquist described.
Flores-Alvarez was tased by an officer in a non-lethal ending to the situation.
"A search of his vehicle revealed a Smith and Wesson .22LR semi-automatic handgun with live ammunition strewn about the interior of the vehicle. A semi-full can of beer was also located," Officer Josh Atwell said in the police report.
Flores-Alvarez was transported to the hospital for a medical clearance and then taken to jail.
"Everyone is safe and home with their families, and he is in jail where he should be," said Wederquist.
He now faces several charges including DUI, reckless negligent discharge of a firearm, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
