Carjacking suspect arrested after hours-long standoff in Pueblo County
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colorado (KRDO) — A carjacking suspect from El Paso County is under arrest after a four hour standoff in a field in north Pueblo County Saturday afternoon, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. The standoff ended when he peacefully surrendered to Pueblo County Sheriff’s SWAT members.
It started around 1:15 p.m. when Pueblo County Sheriff’s deputies were notified that the suspect in a carjacking was possibly in the area of the 3600 block of Overton Road in north Pueblo County.
When deputies and Colorado State Patrol got there, a deputy found an unoccupied white truck. The truck was reported stolen out of El Paso County.
The deputy saw a man and woman walking away from the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputy tried to talk to the couple when the woman ran away and the man, who was carrying a handgun, refused to drop the gun and surrender.
The man, identified as 46-year-old Dustin Wasberg, sat down in a field and put the gun between his legs while ignoring commands to surrender.
Colorado State Patrol and Pueblo Police helped sheriff’s deputies set up a safe perimeter around Wasberg.
They closed Overton Road and sent an emergency alert to people in the surrounding area notifying them of the heavy law enforcement presence.
At about 5:10 p.m., Wasberg surrendered peacefully to SWAT members.
"We were able to set up a great perimeter with the help of our partners from Pueblo Police and the Colorado State Patrol, which allowed us time to arrange for negotiations with the suspect," Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor said in a statement. "Our negotiator did a great job in convincing him to surrender peacefully."
Wasberg was arrested on two felony warrants out of El Paso County and has been booked into the Pueblo County Jail, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman who was with Wasberg has not been found. She is considered a person of interest in the incident. Authorities said she is also wanted on felony warrants.
The sheriff’s office said anyone who sees anything suspicious in the area should call 9-1-1.
