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Aurora man says he was attacked, robbed of $14k cash in church parking lot

Money victim saved for months to buy dream truck
Posted at 5:21 PM, Sep 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-23 19:42:01-04

AURORA, Colo. -- An Aurora man says he was attacked in a church parking lot and robbed of more than $14,000 in cash, money he had saved to buy his dream truck later that afternoon.

Jose Shols spoke through a translator because English is his second language.

"He was coming out of church, he came to prayer and gave thanks because he was about to buy a truck he always dreamed of having," Shols said, through the translator.

Shols' dream of buying that truck was shattered, and so too was his face and jaw.

"He just sees a guy come from behind and he had brass knuckles, and he just hit him with the right hand," he said. "After that, he gets knocked out."

The attack happened in early September outside the Queen Peace Catholic Church in Aurora.

Shols was in his vehicle trying to leave the church when he said the suspect, driving an SUV, tried to block him in and ended up hitting Shols' car.

He said the attack happened when Shols got out of his car to check for damage.

"After he hit him first, he got back up, and they hit him again, and they picked in his pocket, and they took $14,000 that he had to buy his truck," he said.

The car responsible was caught on surveillance video from the church.

"He was going to buy a truck off a friend that he'd known for years, so he doesn't know if they followed him or how they knew that he had money on him," he said.

Weeks later, Shols said he still has to live with pain from the attack.

"He wants the criminals to get caught, and he said his teeth are hurting a lot. He wants to see if there's a way he can find others to help fix his teeth because he doesn't have the money anymore," he said.

Aurora Police said they are investigating the attack but have not made any arrests.

Meanwhile, Shols friend set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his dental bills.

Editor's Note: Quotes attributed to Shols were delivered via a translator.