GOLDEN, Colo. — A man who fired at police officers and neighboring homes during a 2019 standoff in Edgewater was sentenced Friday to 38 years in prison.
According to a release from the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, Edgewater Police were called to a report of shots fired on July 12, 2019. They determined that the shots were coming from a home in the 2500 block of Fenton Street and tried to contact 41-year-old John Cruz, Jr., who was inside the house, but were unsuccessful, the release said.
They were able to evacuate his father and his father's wife from the home. They learned from the father that Cruz was inside the house, had multiple weapons, and "may be on meth," the release said.
Police evacuated neighbors in a 1/2 mile radius, the release said, and SWAT was called in. For the next 17 hours, shots were exchanged during a standoff as officers made repeated attempts to contact Cruz, according to the release, ordering him to come out of the house. Seven law enforcement agencies were called in to assist.
The ordeal was over at 12:30 a.m. the next day when Cruz was arrested, the release said, and officers found eight guns and six air rifles inside the house afterward. No one was hurt.
>> Watch the video above to see our reporting on the day of the incident.
Cruz pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder 1 -- Extreme Indifference, Attempted Assault 1 - Extreme Indifference, and one violent crime count. Seven law enforcement officers and two civilian victims were named in the charges.
“It is only by the grace of God that no citizens or members of law enforcement were injured or killed that day,” said District Attorney Pete Weir. “This case highlights the incredible bravery and sacrifice that police officers and sheriff’s deputies engage in on behalf of our community every day. Mr. Cruz deserves every minute of the sentence imposed by the judge. A simple thank you does not adequately express our gratitude for the debt we owe these men and women of law enforcement."
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