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Man Arrested, Suspected Of Repeated Attacks On 16th Street Mall

By Andrea Flores

DENVER (CBS4)- Police arrested the man they believe is responsible for attacking several people along the 16th Street Mall on Tuesday.

Investigators believe Donald Lucero started his attacks on the sidewalk near Colfax Avenue and Lincoln when he walked up to his first victim, yelled obscenities and punched him him the face.

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(credit: CBS)

Police say Lucero then walked to 16th and Tremont on the 16th Street Mall, and told a woman with her 5-year-old daughter that she "looked fine." The woman tried to walk away from him but he ran towards her and punched her in the face.

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Donald Lucero (credit: Denver Police)

Lucero then made his way to 17th and Glenarm where he ran at a third victim, grabbed and struck her while holding a full can of beer.

Erin Bauscher was the victim in that attack.

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CBS4's Andrea Flores interviews Erin Bauscher (credit: CBS)

"I was on my way downtown, just walking along the sidewalk, when a man came up and pushed me from behind," Bauscher said. "I flipped him off, because I thought he was just stumbling around, and then he got really angry and started beating me with a can."

Bauscher says the attack didn't stop there.

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(credit: CBS)

"There was one final blow to my face, and he broke my sunglasses, and then I ran around the corner and got help," Bauscher told CBS4's Andrea Flores. "He just looked like he was on a rampage, like he was ready to go mess with people."

Bauscher says the woman who was attacked while with her child was visibly shaken.

"I was actually in the ambulance with a woman and her daughter," Bauscher said. "They were just kind of hysterical and panicked."

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(credit: CBS)

Several witnesses followed Lucero and called police as he was seen assaulting other people on his way to 20th and Welton. That's where officers caught up with him and arrested him.

He faces several charges including assault, disturbing the peace, endangering the health of a minor, destruction of private property and throwing stones or missiles.

The Denver Police Department claims crime is down along the 16th Street Mall. Bauscher, who lives and works in the area, is not so sure.

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(credit: CBS)

"I will be able to take of myself after this, no one is going to lay a hand on me that's for sure," Bauscher said. She hopes people will learn from her experience, and report violence.

"If you see someone else in trouble, do something, please, do something," Bauscher said.

Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.

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