Thornton officer shot in residential neighbourhood, gunman still at large

A Thornton police officer was shot Sunday night after a man opened fire on officers responding to a call. The suspect, Luis Arebalo, 37, fled and had not been caught by Monday morning.

Thornton officer shot during call-out, suspect Luis Arebalo still on the run

A Thornton police officer was shot and wounded during a residential neighbourhood call-out on Sunday night, with the suspect remaining at large as of Monday morning, the Denver Post reports.

Officers were dispatched to the 12800 block of Ulster Street, near the Adams County Fairgrounds, shortly after 9:30 p.m. following a report of an unwanted person at the address. According to a police news release, Luis Arebalo, 37, opened fire on the responding officers while they were speaking with the person who had called for help.

One officer was struck by gunfire and is expected to survive. A second officer returned fire at Arebalo, though police said it remained unclear Monday whether that officer's shots hit the man. Arebalo fled the scene and had not been apprehended by early Monday.

Police urged residents to shelter in place immediately after the shooting and conducted a multi-hour search of the surrounding area before lifting that restriction.

Arebalo has a prior criminal record in Colorado, having previously pleaded guilty to reckless driving in connection with a November 2024 incident. Further details of that case were not immediately available.

Thornton police did not respond to a request for additional information by Monday morning. Anyone who spots Arebalo is asked to call 911.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)