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Docs: Discarded receipt led police to teens accused of knocking out cop with chlorine gas attack

Posted at 9:34 PM, Apr 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-10 04:03:40-04

ARVADA, Colo. — Five Colorado teens accused of attacking an Arvada officer and a bystander with a chlorine bomb may have a wrinkled up discarded Walmart receipt to blame for their quick arrests, according to a newly released arrest affidavit obtained by Denver7.

The five suspects — four adults and a juvenile — were taken into custody on Sunday in connection with the attack that occurred in the area of West 68th Avenue and Beech Street around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Arvada.

Maxwell McCann, 18; Braiden Ulmer, 19; Isaac Koch, 19; Gavin Dawson, 19; and an unnamed juvenile are each facing charges of first-degree assault and possession/use of explosives or incendiary devices. Police said the suspects were placed in local detention facilitiesafter their arrests. A total of four chlorine gas devices were found and linked to the suspects, the affidavit states.

The unsuspecting male officer and a civilian were blasted with chlorine gas that erupted from a plastic soda bottle thrown at them while they were removing debris from the roadway near Ralston Valley Park in Arvada. The officer was dispatched to the scene of the attack on a report made by the civilian concerning traffic signs that had been saran wrapped and placed in the middle of the road, according to the affidavit. The civilian stayed on scene to assist the officer, police said. The suspects are accused of placing the signs in the road.

The chemical reaction from the device caused the responding male officer to lose consciousness as he walked toward the direction of where the bottle was thrown, the document read. He woke to his fellow officers over him attempting to provide medical care. The officer was then transported to the hospital where he was treated for chlorine gas exposure. He was later released.

Responding to the officer’s call for help, additional Arvada officers began arriving on scene to assist in locating the suspects. While canvassing the area, authorities came upon a silver Volkswagen Jetta with four of the five suspects inside, but descriptions of possible suspects in the attack were not available at the time. The four were let go after an officer snapped photos of their driver’s licenses.

Moments later, a detective dispatched to the area to investigate the attack came upon a crinkled up Walmart receipt in a nearby field. The receipt, dated just an hour before the incident, came from an Arvada Walmart and listed clear plastic wrap and items needed to build the chlorine explosive device, according to the affidavit. With that receipt, investigators were able to view security camera footage from the Walmart showing the suspects purchase the items, the documents state.

During questioning, the affidavit states that the suspects admitted to building the chlorine gas devices and setting up the barricade in the roadway. The suspects told police they were not targeting anyone in particular but “just d-ckin around with them,” the affidavit read. Police said Maxwell admitted to throwing one of the devices toward the officer. He told detectives, from his reading on the internet he felt the gas from the bombs was not “very toxic or harmful.”

The suspects have yet to be officially charged. The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case.