Man Has Wild Story Of Escaping Carjackers, Could Be Related To Fatal Craigslist Home Invasion
DENVER (CBS4) - One day after a man fatally shot one of two intruders who went into his home and stole his SUV, another man says a similar incident happened to him just the day before.
Richard Garcia posted an ad on Facebook to sell his 2002 Lincoln LS V8 and got a response Saturday afternoon. He agreed to meet with the person interested and show him his car.
"I thought they were just interested in buying a car," Garcia told CBS4.
Garcia said two men and a woman showed up in a gold Ford Mustang and asked to test drive his car before making a decision to purchase it. One of the men was in the driver's seat, the other behind the passenger seat Garcia was sitting in. Moments later, it became a fight or flight decision for the 25-year-old trying to sell his car.
"He basically pointed the gun at me and was like, 'This is how we're going to do it,'" Garcia said of the man sitting behind him. "He was like, 'Keep your hands on the dash.'"
Then the passenger pulled out a knife and made threats, Garcia told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann. Garcia said he thought the man was going to stab him, but then a police officer was spotted on the road.
"As soon as I heard them say, 'There's a cop,' I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it this way," Garcia said. "He tried to straighten it out and then I just pushed the steering wheel towards Federal and went over the median."
Both men jumped out of the moving car and Garcia said he jumped behind the wheel and drove it toward the officer. He reported what happened then posted a warning online, hoping to prevent others from falling victim to the men who tried to steal his car.
One important note in Garcia's warning was that he described both men were driving a gold Ford Mustang, the same vehicle description given for the Taft Court shooting Sunday. That's where two men responding to a Craigslist ad tied up a man before stealing his car. The victim was able to break free, eventually fatally shooting one of the suspects.
"I don't think he should be at fault because if they had never shown up at his house," Garcia said of the man who shot the suspect, "he would have never been put in that position to have to put matters in his own hands."
No charges have been decided in that case yet. Jefferson County investigators are looking into whether or not the cases are related. In the meantime, Garcia is still warning others to be careful when selling anything online, suggesting to meet at a police station to make any sales.
"If they're trying to steal from you, they're not going to want to meet at a police station."
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now reports for CBS4 News at 10 and is always open to story ideas. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.
