The reward for information about an escaped Denver inmate has been increased to $10,000.
Mauricio Venzor-Gonzalez, 23, evaded Denver sheriff’s deputies during a transport at Denver Health Medical Center on Monday. He's considered dangerous and possibly armed.
Venzor-Gonzalez was being held for attempted murder after he allegedly shot at a police officer in November following a traffic stop. He got away but was found two days later in Aurora suffering from three gunshot wounds.
Before that, Venzor-Gonzalez was wanted in the suspected kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and their one-year-old child.
On Monday evening, two people possibly connected to him were chased by police from a home under surveillance in Aurora. That high-speed ended in a crash in northeast Denver and the suspects were shot. Their relationship to Venzor-Gonzalez has not been released.
He was last seen wearing a dark green colored uniform with the letters ‘CCMF,' which stands for Correctional Care Medical Facility. It’s a secure ward at the bottom of Denver Health that's staffed by deputies at all times.
The sheriff's department said Venzor-Gonzalez was at Denver Health for a scheduled appointment of some kind. Police said they are looking into whether he had handcuffs or any other restraints on at the time of his escape.
Venzor-Gonzalez is described as 5’7” tall and 140 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman told 9NEWS on Monday that Venzor-Gonzalez had been previously sought by immigration officials for possible deportation. On Dec. 28, 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent the Denver Sheriff's Department a request for release notification for Venzor-Gonzalez. The sheriff's department's policy would have been to notify ICE once he began the release process.
On Friday, 9NEWS reporter Chris Vanderveen confirmed Venzor-Gonzalez came to the United States in 1995, when he was one-year-old.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Denver Police Department or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867) or by using the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app. All tipsters remain anonymous and are eligible for an award of up to $10,000.
The reward was increased due to funds from an anonymous donor.
The Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app is immediately available as a free download on the App Store for Apple devices, on Google Play for Android devices and on the BlackBerry App World for select BlackBerry devices. To learn more about Crime Stoppers visit the website at http://metrodenvercrimestoppers.com.
