15-year-old arrested after violent carjacking spree across southern Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A violent, multi-county crime spree that began with an armed carjacking in Silver Cliff Tuesday morning ended in Colorado Springs hours later with the arrest of a 15-year-old suspect now facing a long list of charges, including attempted first-degree murder.

The Custer County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) says at around noon on Oct. 14, deputies quickly responded to a report of an armed carjacking off of Broadway Street in Silver Cliff. According to the sheriff's office, a resident had called and reported a man using a gun to steal their Mitsubishi SUV from a dog park.

As a precaution, Custer County schools close to the park were placed on "Lock-In" status while deputies investigated, CCSO said.

Shortly after, deputies located the stolen vehicle in Cañon City, which led to a pursuit on Highway 50 near the intersection of Highway 67. The suspect was later spotted by Colorado State Patrol traveling northbound on Highway 115 at a "high rate of speed" before eventually reaching Colorado Springs, where he abandoned the vehicle.

But the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says the crime spree didn't end there.

At around 1:23 p.m., the suspect was reportedly near the intersection of South Murray Boulevard and East Fountain Boulevard, where he pointed a gun at a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) employee who was working on the roadway.

Just an hour later, at 2:30 p.m., the suspect pointed the gun at another person on North Union Boulevard and attempted another carjacking. An hour after that, he was reported in the Memorial Park area, where he yet again attempted an armed carjacking.

Police say just after 4 p.m., the suspect pointed his gun at several people while trying to get into another vehicle near the intersection of East Fountain Boulevard and South Circle Drive.

He then crossed the street and carjacked a car from a mother and her three children, firing the gun at the mother in the process, CSPD said. Luckily, no injuries were reported.

Colorado Springs officers responded to the scene and, after a short pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody off of Academy Park Loop.

CSPD said the juvenile suspect, a 15-year-old Custer County resident who has not been publicly identified due to his age, was taken to a detention facility.

Police confirmed the juvenile has been charged with the following:

• Attempted First Degree Murder
• Two Counts of Aggravated Robbery
• Three Counts of Attempted Aggravated Robbery
• Two Counts of Motor Vehicle Theft
• Ten Counts of Felony Menacing
• Vehicular Eluding
• Illegal Possession of a Handgun by a Juvenile
• Four Counts of Reckless Endangerment
• Obstruction

Authorities from multiple jurisdictions are now coordinating their investigations to determine the full sequence of events, CCSO said. This remains an active investigation.

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