Reward Increased In Search For Missing Inmate
DENVER (CBS4) - The reward for locating a dangerous fugitive who escaped from a hospital earlier this week has risen to $10,000.
Mauricio Venzor-Gonzales, 22, escaped from Denver Health Medical Center on Monday. He was brought to the hospital for treatment but managed to escape from Denver deputies.
An extensive search for him has been ongoing since then. On Thursday Denver police called the search their "top priority."
"He's a very dangerous individual. ... The community's not safe with him out there," said Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Commander Barb Archer. "We're pursuing every piece of information we get."
Last September, Venzor-Gonzales was wanted for the suspected kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend and their son, which spurred an Amber Alert.
Venzor-Gonzales was later shot and wounded by police and arrested in November. He allegedly fired a weapon at a police officer after a chase that started during a traffic stop and ended up on foot. The suspect hid in a house with his wounds for two days before being taken into custody.
After Venzor-Gonzales's escape on Monday officers spotted a stolen car they thought he was in and pursued it. They fired on the car and the driver wound up dead and the passenger was injured. Those two people were acquaintances of Venzor-Gonzales but he was not with them at the time.
Anyone who spots Venzor-Gonzales is asked to call 911. Tips about his whereabouts can also be called in to Denver Crimestoppers at (720) 913-STOP.