Suspected Shooter Arrested After Shots Fired In Lakewood Neighborhood
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Police in Lakewood urged residents in the area of Sanderson Creek to stay inside their homes after shots were fired in the neighborhood on Monday morning. Reverse 911 calls went out to residents impacted by the situation.
Police tweeted that the shooter, an adult male, was in custody just before 10:30 a.m. Monday. The suspect has been identified as Anthony Lee Montoya, 51. He succumbed to his injuries suffered in the shootout.
Montoya was taken into custody from inside a white pickup truck parked in front of a home in the 6400 block of West Mexico Avenue.
Police said after Montoya was arrested, that there was no threat to the general public and that they believe it was an isolated incident.
Police said they initially arrived to investigate reports to 911 of several gunshots fired near West Jewell Avenue and South Harlan Circle about 8:30 a.m. Several SWAT teams and other police vehicles gathered outside of a home in that area.
Police say Montoya was firing shots from inside the home and hitting other homes in the neighborhood. Agents returned fire, hitting him. He continued to elude officers while in a white truck, but he eventually crashed in the back yard of a home near the corner of West Mexico Avenue and South Eaton Street.
A neighbor told CBS4 that the suspect in a white truck drove through her front yard and crashed through her fence into the yard of a neighboring home.
Karen McCarty got to her house after police say the threat was over. The suspect and his truck left a mess for her to clean up.
"Just based on you know the way the neighbors were staring at my yard, I thought something horrible must have happened," she said.
Officers urged everyone to stay away from the area and stay inside their homes during the incident.
Copter4 flew over the home where police responded. An ambulance was parked in the driveway of the home. At least one bearcat and a drone were used in the police response.
Lasley Elementary, Alameda High School and Great Works Montessori Schools were placed in lockout status during the investigation. That lockout was lifted just before 11 a.m.
The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team will handle the investigation.
