'Smoke Was Billowing Out The Door': Police Catch Up With Wanted Man
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) - Twenty minutes was all it took for one man to cause quite a scene and quite a bit of damage to a home in Greeley over the weekend.
Brothers Ryun Carruthers and Rick Behning live next door and had a front row seat to the situation on Saturday night.
"I came home and there was a bunch of cop cars on the street," Carruthers said.
"It appeared as if they were serving a warrant," Behning said.
They had just sat down to have some supper when they heard a knock at the door.
"All of a sudden two cops came to the door with their ARs and told me I needed to evacuate," Carruthers said.
Greeley police were looking for Anthony Griego.
They had been searching for him since a warrant was issued for his arrest on March 9. He was wanted for kidnapping, assault, sexual assault and false imprisonment. The police finally caught up with him Saturday night at the house of a family member on 7th Avenue.
"We left and we just watched down the street and watched it happen," Behning said.
"Next thing you know the cousin comes outside and it's filled with smoke. I thought they put tear gas in there or something," Carruthers said.
Police surrounded the house as Griego tried to start a fire inside the house by tampering with the stove and gas line.
"When he opened the door, smoke was billowing out of the door. He was crying," Behning said.
Soon Griego surrendered and was taken to the hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation and burns. Now he also faces charges of arson and criminal mischief.
As for the brothers next door, they got to go home and eat their dinner.
"I just wanted some food," Behning said.
Carruthers said firefighters had to put out flareups in the house throughout the night. According to him, they finally got it all out at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Michael Abeyta is a 4th generation Coloradan and a Multimedia Journalist for CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 5 & 6. He is on Twitter! Follow him @AbeytaCBS4.
