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Police Shoot, Kill Suspect After Homeowner Attacked

By Lauren DiSpirito

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - Westminster police have shot and killed a man who they said was armed, wanted for assault and robbery, and fleeing officers.

The officer-involved shooting happened on Tuesday afternoon near the Cottonwood Villas apartment complex.

Westminster tweeted an update on the shooting that happened at 121st and Huron.

According to police, a homeowner in the 12100 block of Bannock Street called police after he witnessed four men and a woman stealing items from his garage. He told police he was punched and weapons were pulled on him.

One man fled on a motorcycle while three men and the woman fled in a silver Chevy Malibu.

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Copter4 flew over the officer-involved shooting in Westminster. (credit: CBS)

Westminster Police Public Information Officer Cheri Spottke says as police were airing suspect information, two officers with the department's K9 unit spotted the suspect motorcycle.

"It was all kind of evolving as we were getting the phone call from the homeowner and airing that information when officers in the area happened upon that motorcycle," Spottke said.

She says the suspect on the motorcycle crashed and tried to flee on foot. Police said the suspect pulled a weapon and officers shot and killed him.

"We're not giving out what type of weapon he brandished at this time," said Spottke, "but he did not fire shots at the officers."

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(credit: CBS)

While police have said initial reports indicate the suspect crashed his motorcycle on his own, Erica Guerrero, who lives at Cottonwood Villas, says she saw a police vehicle hit the back of the suspect's motorcycle.

"I heard sirens, so I turned around and I saw the back of one of the SUV police cars had bumped the back of the tire on the motorcycle," Guerrero said. "They were going no more than 15 miles per hour when it got bumped and he just fell over with the bike and got up and took off."

Both police and witnesses say, next, officers chased the suspect on foot through the apartment complex. One witness told police he saw the suspect unzip his jacket. Another witness told CBS4 the suspect did not have a weapon, despite reports from police.

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(credit: CBS)

Jason Garvin, who also lives at the apartment complex, described hearing gunshots. At first, he thought they might be fireworks.

"It was pretty shocking to have something like this happen over here," Garvin said.

Huron Street was closed between 124th and 128th but has since has been reopened.

Police are still searching for the other suspects. They say the homeowner who reported being robbed and attacked was not seriously hurt. The 17th Judicial District's critical incident response team is handling the shooting investigation.

Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.

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