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Arvada carjacking leads to manhunt; female suspect identified

A Code Red was issued for people living in the area during the search. A male suspect is still at-large.

ARVADA, Colo. — Arvada Police asked residents to shelter in place while they searched for a suspect in a carjacking Saturday night. 

According to the Arvada Police Department (APD), the carjacking was reported at around 7:44 p.m. in the area of West 68th Avenue and Gray Street. No one was injured.

The stolen vehicle, a gold Dodge Ram pickup, was located at West 58th Avenue and Kipling Parkway, police said. Officers pursued the truck, and the chase ended with a crash in the area of Ralston Road and Rensselaer Drive. No one was injured.

Surveillance video courtesy of Whigfarmer caught the vehicle being chased by authorities.

A female passenger, identified as 23-year-old Crystal Trujillo, was taken into custody, but a man with a handgun ran away. During a foot pursuit, police said, the man fired shots at officers. No officers were injured, and they did not return fire. 

Credit: Arvada Police Department
Crystal Trujillo mug

"And a car pulled up and I seen one guy get out. He said, 'Hey excuse me,'" said Matthew Bell, the man who was carjacked. "I looked back at him, and I seen a gun in his hand, and he told me to turn around and get on the ground. 

He put the gun against the back of my head and another guy got on my back and was searching for my keys. He said, 'Don’t get up until we’re gone, and they jumped in my car and left." 

Bell had just gotten home from a company Christmas party when he said the suspect pulled up to his house and brandished a weapon. His kids had just gone inside. 

"My truck is not worth my life," Bell said. "Is my truck really worth spending the rest of your life in prison? Is potentially taking a father away from four kids right around Christmas let alone at any time worth spending the rest of your life in prison? What if you had kids? What if somebody did it to you? How would you feel?"

Police consider the suspect armed and dangerous. He's described as a 5 feet, 5 inch tall white male, 150 pounds, 30 years old, with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen in the 5900 block of Johnson Way, according to a tweet from APD.

Numerous jurisdictions assisted in the search for the suspect. At around 1 a.m. Sunday, Arvada police announced the suspect had not been found and the search had been called off, but said the investigation was ongoing and active leads were being pursued. Anyone with information that could help police in their investigation is asked to call Detective Grisham at 720-898-6729. 

Trujillo is being held on the following charges:

  • Aggravated robbery
  • First-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft
  • Felony menacing

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