Alleged Car Thief Arrested After Firing At Police
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) -- Police from at least five local and state agencies surrounded and arrested a man Thursday. They say he evaded capture for up to two days in the metro area.
Roger Reynolds, 35, now faces charges of Attempted 1st Degree Murder of a Peace Officer, two counts of Aggravated Robbery, Vehicular Eluding, and Possession of Weapons by a Previous Offender. Additional charges are possible as his involvement in other crimes is examined, said Lakewood Police Department spokesman John Romero.
Reynolds allegedly bailed out of the stolen car he was driving Thursday at 2 p.m. He was chased down by officers on foot near the Planet Honda car lot on West Colfax, according to a press release from LPD's Romero.
Minutes prior to his arrest, Reynolds fled members of a multi-agency task force who approached him at the Candlewood Suites Motel at 895 Tabor Street in Lakewood. It was during this retreat when Reynolds reportedly fired a gun at a Denver police officer at the intersection of 8th Avenue and Urban Court.
The officer was uninjured, Romero confirmed.
Denver PD spokesman Doug Schepman said no officers returned fire.
Detectives could be seen combing the area around the hotel for evidence - specifically shell casings - following the encounter.
Reynolds was on authorities' radar after allegedly firing a gun earlier Thursday during a felony menacing incident in west Denver.
Plus, he was already wanted on felony warrants for robbery and motor vehicle theft, DPD's Schepman's said.
Reynolds name was first aired on police radios Wednesday after a car was taken from a woman in a Lakewood grocery store parking lot by a man with a gun. That same vehicle - a maroon Hyundai Tucson - was also described in police radio traffic during Thursday morning's menacing call and during the Thursday afternoon pursuit from the the motel to the car dealership.
Officers from Golden Police, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Colorado State Patrol assisted Denver and Lakewood in Reynolds's arrest.
A woman, 26-year-old Stacia Darline Smith, also ran from police when Reynolds's stolen car was stopped. She was arrested across the street from the car lot. She was eventually placed in custody of Jefferson County parole officers.
Reynolds is currently being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center and will face a judge on August 15 regarding the Lakewood charges.
There is no indication when he will stand in a courtroom to account for the Denver offenses.
