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Police: Crowd jumping on cars, setting fire to bushes following Fourth of July party in Boulder

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Posted at 9:35 PM, Jul 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-07 08:32:27-04

BOULDER, Colo. — BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder Police Department had to disperse a crowd of more than 100 people that gathered in the street and allegedly lit bushes on fire and jumped on vehicles after leaving a party on the Fourth of July.

Officers were dispatched to the 700 block of 17th Street and adjacent streets to break up the gathering after reports of a noise complaint around 4 p.m., police said. The resident was given a warning to either quiet down or shut down the party.

At 5:30 p.m., another complaint for the same address came in to police, and officers responded telling the owner to shut down the party. People began to leave, but then a crowd of approximately 100 to 200 people gathered in the street, jumped on cars, lit bushes on fire and set off fireworks, according to police.

Boulder Police SWAT responded to help disperse the crowds. During the response, some of the partygoers got into an argument, and one man pulled out a gun and cocked it before a fight ensued, police said. Three people potentially involved then took off in a dark blue BMW or Mercedes. The description of the men is limited.

Boulder police later confirmed someone had an AR15-style rifle, and 11 shell casings were recovered on July 5. At this time, police did not report any injuries.

A 20-year-old man was issued a summons for having a nuisance party.

Several burglaries were also reported during the incident. One burglary happened down the street from the party in the 800 block of 17th Street, which resulted in the arrest of 23-year-old Jayson Reser and 22-year-old Nelson Gomez-Mejica on charges of second-degree burglary, police said.

The Boulder Police Department said it doesn't believe the individuals involved in the burglary were involved in the shooting.

In total, Boulder police received 152 calls for service, including 64 calls related to fireworks between 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. on July 4. Some of the other calls included noise complaints, fights at three restaurants and a report of a man firing a gun near the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building. Officers also recovered close to 70 shell casings and two live rounds near the intersection of 14th Street and Euclid Avenue on July 5 from an initially unreported shootout between three individuals.

Editor's Note: This story was updated on July 5 and July 7 with additional details provided from the Boulder Police Department.