'I Would've Shot That Man': Suspect Leads Police On Wild Crime Spree
By Jamie Leary
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver police say a 41-year-old man went on quite a wild ride overnight. The crime spree started at the 7-Eleven near Chambers Road and East 32nd Avenue in Aurora, according to Jay Casias with the Denver Police Department.
The suspect is accused of chasing another driver for several miles -- honking the horn repeatedly -- and eventually using his vehicle to ram the victim's car.
The victim called 911 and tried to drive to safety.
Police said the suspect lost control and crashed through a fence at East 38th Avenue and Jasmine Street at about 11 p.m.
According to police, the suspect got out of the car, went a few houses down and broke into a home where a mother and her three children were sound asleep.
"The door was locked, he kicked that in…" Hilary Denning said as she showed CBS4 the damage.
Denning said the suspect told her he wasn't going to hurt her, but she was unarmed and said couldn't figure out what his intentions were.
"Who kicks in the door and then says I'm not here to hurt you?"
Denning was not only scared, but confused by what he said moments after he kicked in her door.
"He said 'I'm the black superman, and I'm here to save you' that's what he said. I said I don't care who you are you need to get out of my house!"
Her priority was to protect her children so she tried to block the hallway to their bedrooms.
"I'd rather something happen to me than them so I'm like you know, trying to keep him away from my kids."
The suspect was much larger than Denning -- he forced his way past her into the bedroom of her 8-year-old son.
Denning said at that point, she wished she had a gun.
"I would've shot that man," she said with certainty.
Her son, Dante was sound asleep. He said he was scared for a moment, but mostly confused.
"This guy just came inside my room. I was peacefully sleeping and then he just said, 'I'm the black superman' and came over and gave me a handshake for no reason," said Dante.
Denning forced him out of the bedroom and his odd behavior continued.
"He tried to roll some weed right there at my table and I was like, 'What are you doing?' He wasn't saying anything. He just kept saying he was black superman."
Denning's daughter had called the police. The entire ordeal lasted only a few minutes.
"The police, they came in, they had their guns drawn and they asked him did have anything on him and he said 'Yes, I have drugs. I have a knife…' He was so nonchalant about it, like he didn't try to resist arrest with cops or anything."
Police identified the man as Richard Terrell and took him into custody.
Terrell was being held on suspicion of vehicular assault, criminal mischief and first degree criminal trespass. He could face additional charges out of Aurora.
Police have not released the mugshot as they are still in the early stages of the investigation.
Jamie Leary joined the CBS4 team in 2015 and currently works as a reporter for CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. She couldn't imagine a better place to live and work and will stop at nothing to find the next great story. Jamie loves learning about and hearing from her fellow community members, so connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @JamieALeary.
