LAKEWOOD, CO – A suspect who allegedly threatened staff at a local Walmart and then proceeded to carjack an elderly woman was shot dead on Wednesday morning by officers from the Lakewood Police Department.
Police officers responded to a call at about 10:20 a.m., reporting threat activities inside a Walmart at 440 Wadsworth Boulevard. The staff claimed a man had menaced them with a firearm a few minutes before they alerted the police, as described by the department’s public information officer, John Romero.
Escaping on foot after the threat, the suspect was reported to have encountered an elderly woman near her van in the vicinity of W. 4th Avenue and Zephyr Street. He allegedly threatened her, confiscated her car, and proceeded to flee the scene. The description of the suspect in this incident matched that of the Walmart staffer’s report.
Lakewood police located the suspect on the move in various North Lakewood neighborhoods and initiated a pursuit when he refused to halt. Romero informed that given the confirmed possession of a firearm by the suspect, the chase was authorized.
The police pursued the suspect until a collision at the off-ramp at 6th Avenue and Garrison. Officers then confronted the suspect, demanding he exit the vehicle with his hands raised. As the suspect emerged from the car, he was reported to have immediately pointed his gun at the agents, provoking six officers to discharge their weapons.
The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene. No other injuries were reported. His firearm was retrieved from the crime scene, and his identity has been withheld pending family notification. The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team has taken on the investigation.