ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A car theft suspect is in the hospital, and three others are in custody after an officer-involved shooting in Arapahoe County Wednesday night.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) in a news release Thursday said about 3:19 p.m. Wednesday, deputies contacted the driver of what appeared to be a truck stalled in traffic in the area of South Parker Road and East Fremont Avenue. That's near the Parker and Arapahoe roads intersection.
That stalled truck had been reported stolen out of Denver, ACSO said. Two suspects, later identified as Jorge Armando Jamiez-Baez, 22, and Alexis Michelle Ruder-Iturrio, 24, were arrested.
Deputies then learned another stolen truck would be arriving in the area, ACSO said. When the truck arrived, the driver pulled into a parking space at the apartment complex at 16363 E. Fremont Ave., where deputies blocked in the truck and attempted to detain three occupants.
As deputies approached the truck, the driver, identified as Diego Castorena Gallegos, 22, put it in gear and began ramming surrounding cars, ACSO said. As Gallegos was attempting to escape, a deputy was pinned between the stolen truck and a car, which is when a second deputy fired shots at Gallegos.
Gallegos was shot multiple times and deputies were able to take him and one of two passengers, identified as Amalia Alma Castro, 19, into custody, ACSO said. The second passenger fled the scene. Deputies said they have since located him and he is not facing any criminal charges.
The injured deputy was treated and released at an area hospital, ACSO said. Deputies provided first aid to Gallegos and he was transported to an area hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
The deputy who shot Gallegos has been placed on administrative leave, which is a standard procedure for an officer-involved shooting.
ACSO said the suspects are facing the following charges:
Gallegos
- 1st Degree Assault on A Peace Officer
- 2nd Degree Assault on a Peace Officer
- 2nd Degree Assault on a Peace Officer (causing injury with a Deadly Weapon)
- Attempted 2nd Degree Assault on a Peace Officer
- Attempted 2nd Degree Assault on a Peace Officer (causing injury with a Deadly Weapon)
- Vehicular Eluding
- 1st Degree Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft
Amalia Alma Castro
- Adams County Warrant – Failure to Comply – 2nd Degree Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft
- Broomfield Warrant – Failure to Appear – Theft
- Adams County Warrant – Failure to Appear – Vehicular Eluding, Criminal Possession of a Financial Device
- Aurora Warrant – Failure to Appear – Trespassing
- Denver Warrant – Probation Violation
Jamiez-Baez
- 1st Degree Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft
- Denver Warrant – Dangerous Drugs
- Denver Warrant – Traffic
Ruder-Iturrio
- Adams County Warrant – Possession of Controlled Substance / Criminal Possession of a Financial Device
- Commerce City Warrant – Failure to Appear – Theft
ACSO suspended a shelter-in-place advisement for the area around 10 p.m. Wednesday.
ACSO originally said in a tweet the suspects shot at deputies, then tweeted the suspects did not fire weapons. The tweets have since been deleted.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the ACSO Investigative Tip Line at 720-874-8477.
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