5-Hour Standoff Situation On Colorado Boulevard Ends With Arrest
DENVER (CBS4) - A man police say barricaded himself in a store on South Colorado Boulevard Sunday night was arrested without incident after the 5-hour ordeal.
Police are holding Thomas Valdez, 31, for felony menacing and criminal mischief.
Police say Valdez bought an airsoft gun and then went into the Second Spin music store on Colorado Boulevard. When customers and employees ran out of the store, the man stayed inside, causing a shutdown of the busy street for several hours.
About six employees were working in the store when Valdez allegedly came into the store waving a gun.
"We got a call into the 4000 block of South Colorado about a robbery in progress. Officers responded here and found there was one party still inside the store possible armed," Sonny Jackson with Denver police said.
Police responded by shutting down a four-block section around the store from Louisiana Avenue to Iowa Avenue.
"It was a volatile situation, so we took every precaution to protect the public. We closed businesses, we did reverse 911s … we took every precaution we could for public safety, the safety of our officers, and the suspect," Jackson said.
SWAT officers finally arrested Valdez at approximately 8 p.m.
"When we contacted the suspect he was arrested without incident. He did not resist, there was no resistance," Jackson said.