Calls from Colorado community members lead to arrest of man accused of shooting Thornton police officer
Thornton Police Department announced the arrest of suspect Luis Arebalo, 37, Tuesday night. This happened a few hours after police held a press conference to share information about the effort to track him down. Arebalo had been avoiding police for the past two days after he was accused of shooting and injuring a Thornton police officer when they responded to check on him this past Sunday.
According to the press release, Arebalo was arrested after police received multiple calls from community members. He had been seen walking near Riverdale Road and E 120th Parkway in the areas of Brighton and Commerce City. This time when police responded, he was taken into custody, and nobody was hurt.
A woman, who knows the suspect, originally called police around 9:30 p.m. over the past weekend because she said Arebalo was outside her home near E 128th Avenue and Ulster Street in Thornton, and had called her "threatening suicide." Two officers responded to the residence and met with the 911 caller. That's when she told police she could see the suspect across the street from her home.
Both officers went to speak with the suspect when police say he moved toward them and began repeatedly firing his gun at them. One of those officers was shot. During the press conference, Chief Jim Baird said that officer was able to move to an area where he began to treat himself, even applying his own tourniquet for his wounds. Eventually, a Thornton sergeant arrived at the scene and assisted moving the officer to a nearby ambulance to be taken to the hospital. Baird then confirmed his officer was discharged from the hospital Monday morning, and was recovering at home.
The second officer to first respond to the scene returned fire at the suspect. On the night of the shooting, it was unknown if the Arebalo had been shot, since he was able to escape the scene and avoid law enforcement until Tuesday's arrest. After he was captured, TPD said he had no apparent sign of injuries.
Fortunately, no community members were involved or hurt in the shooting. But the response did impact them for hours through the night and into the early morning. It was a little before 10 p.m. when shots were fired and then later in the hour when a shelter-in place order was made for neighbors. That order wouldn't be lifted until 1:22 a.m. when police were confident the suspect was no longer in the area.
Prior to his arrest, police discovered and searched Arebalo's car. Investigators searching the area also found his phone, handgun and a separate magazine to a gun that was believed to belong to him.
Police mentioned Metro Denver Crime Stoppers had offered a reward of up to $4,000 for tips that would lead to finding Arebalo. It's unknown if any community members are expected to be rewarded for the information that helped lead to the suspect's arrest.
Multiple resources were called in on the night of the shooting, including SWAT, K-9 teams, patrol officers, drones, a Denver Police Department helicopter and a Colorado State Patrol airplane. Several other law enforcment agencies provided aid to this response for hours after the shooting.
Despite how the response with police unfolded, Thornton Police Department says Arebalo has no prior criminal history or known previous encounters with local law enforcement. Although, it was mentioned he does have a history of traffic violations. Formal charges against him will be determined by the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
