Englewood officer shot at during Sunday night traffic stop; 2 juveniles arrested

DENVER (KDVR) — An Englewood officer barely missed being shot multiple times while attempting to conduct a traffic stop, and police say two juveniles armed with an AK-47 are to blame.

The incident began at about 11 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11. An officer attempted to stop a red Jeep Grand Cherokee near West Dartmouth Avenue and South Shoshone Street for a defective vehicle violation.

The Englewood Police Department reported that the driver “refused to stop” and within a minute of the pursuing officer turning on his emergency lights, over a dozen shots had been fired at the officer’s vehicle from a high-powered weapon from the passenger side window. Bullets struck the cruiser’s windshield, front end and engine, but did not strike the officer.

The officer continued the pursuit into an industrial area, then into a neighborhood where the suspect vehicle crashed. Two suspects ran from the crash scene on foot. However, the patrol vehicle had been damaged enough by gunfire that it was also disabled.

Multiple agencies responded to try and locate the pair of suspects, including a bearcat (a type of armored vehicle), a tactical team and a K-9 unit. Alerts were sent to impacted neighbors, but the suspects were not found and the alerts were canceled.

Officers investigated the crashed Jeep and found an AK-47 and “numerous” shell casings from the scene of the shooting. Through the investigation, officers were able to identify two suspects, both juveniles.

One was arrested on Aug. 12, and the second was arrested on Aug. 13. Both are facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder on a public official, and additional charges will be determined by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Officials are not identifying the juveniles due to their ages. Because of this, no further information on their court appearances or custody was available.

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