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Thornton police continue search for shooting suspect

Thornton PD says incident being investigated as police shooting
Thornton police ask residents to shelter place as they search for shooting suspect
Posted at 9:14 AM, Apr 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-09 19:25:42-04

THORNTON, Colo. — Thornton police are continuing their search for a wanted man who pointed a gun at officers Friday morning.

At 8:27 a.m. officers responded to a burglary at an apartment complex near 9700 Welby Rd. A witness pointed out the man police were looking for, who was running away from the scene, according to police.

Officers said they tried to make contact, and the man pointed a gun at them. They started chasing the man on foot until he got in a car and police continued the chase.

At 8:52 a.m., the Thornton Police Department announced that police were investigating an incident including shots fired during a traffic stop near E. 115th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Friday afternoon, policed provided an update the man they were chasing got out of the car and pointed a weapon at officers.

Two officers fired their guns, but it's unknown if the man was shot, according to police.

The man ran, jumped a fence and continued running through a neighborhood.

People in the area were asked to shelter in place until 10:17 a.m., when police lifted the request. CodeRed notifications were sent out to residents in the immediate area and all nearby schools were placed on lockout.

The lockouts at Woodglenn Elementary and Cherry Drive Elementary were lifted by 10:40 a.m. The shelter in place, school secure alerts and CodeReds were lifted by 4:25 p.m.

Colorado Boulevard was closed in both directions from 112th Avenue through 115th Avenue for several hours for the investigation.

Thornton police said they are searching for a Hispanic man estimated to be in his late 20s and 30s in a black hat, black hoodie, white T-shirt and blue jeans. They believe he's armed with a handgun.

The man is believed to have stolen a gold Jeep Grand Cherokee from the area with license plate OLD-489, police said. By 12:30 p.m., police said the gold Jeep had been found in the 10300 block of Tenby Lane but not the suspect.

If you see the suspect, call 911. The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

No members of the public or officers were injured during the chases or shooting, though one officer was injured in the hand while jumping a fence.

This is a developing story and will be updated.