Man sentenced to 20 years following 2021 carjacking incident on Interstate 25

A Wellington man was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for a carjacking incident that occurred on Interstate 25 back in 2021.

According to court officials, 31-year-old David Mercado, was sentenced to two decades behind bars by Weld County District Court judge Allison Esser. 

Authorities say on May 23, 2021, officers were called for a report of a physical disturbance on I-25. Officers arrived to the scene and approached Mercado, who was walking along Frontage Road.

When officers attempted to make contact with Mercado, he fled the scene and forced his way into a male victim's vehicle before being apprehended by police. 

In the court report, authorities say Mercado forced the victim to drive him to another location after fleeing from officers. During the carjacking, Mercado stole the victim's phone and assaulted him, while telling them he was armed with a gun. 

"This defendant put many people in our community at risk of being seriously injured that day," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Anthony Perea, during the sentence hearing. "He deserves an appropriate sentence to ensure the safety of this community, and to ensure he doesn't do this to another victim." 

Mercado will be admitted into the Colorado Department of Corrections. He was on parole at the time of the arrest.

Back in September, a jury convicted Mercado on one count of second-degree kidnapping and one count of aggravated robbery.