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Jury Convicts Stephen Garcia After He Tried To Ignite Drilling Site Tank With Flare

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) - A 57-year-old Greeley man who was shot by police officers while he attempted to ignite fumes inside a tank at a Weld County drilling site could be sentenced to nearly 100 years in prison.

A jury convicted Stephen Garcia earlier this month on three of the four counts of 1st Degree Assault on a Peace Officer against him, and one count each of Attempted Use of an Incendiary Device and Reckless Endangerment.

The jury acquitted him of four counts of attempted murder.

Stephen Garcia (convicted, Methanol Tank Arrest, from Weld Cnty DA)
Stephen Garcia (credit: Weld County District Attorney's Office)

The incident occurred the morning of June 8, 2019, at 10611 Highway 257 in unincorporated Weld County. The location is west of Greeley and southeast of Windsor.

According to Weld County District Attorney's Office, a worker at the drilling site called 911 to report a man with a flare in his hand standing near tanks potentially containing highly flammable and explosive gasses.

The first Weld County Sheriff's Office deputy to arrive saw Garcia attempting to ignite the gasses in a tank reportedly holding methanol. Garcia ignored the deputy's commands and told her to leave him alone.

Garcia "said he was going to blow the tank up," according to a press release from the DA's Office.

More personnel arrived from the sheriff's office, the Greeley Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol.

Firefighters, meanwhile, told the officers that "there could have been a blast radius of up to a quarter of a mile" if Garcia was successful in causing an explosion.

Garcia was subsequently shot with non-lethal bean bag rounds, but he continued to try to light the fumes from the tank.

An officer then fired two rounds from his firearm, striking Garcia in the jaw and shoulder.

Garcia was taken into custody and taken to Medical Center of the Rockies for treatment of his injuries.

Garcia pleaded not guilty to all charges six months after the incident.

The jury turned in its verdict June 11.

According to a spokesperson with DA's Office, Garcia faces a range of 30 to 96 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 11.

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