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This report documents eight (8) public-safety incidents occurring in Boulder, Colorado from July 31st – August 7th using police reports obtained through Colorado Open Records Act requests. These are presented chronologically.
This is a very small portion of the crime that I believe happened during this time frame. Boulder, in the summer, will have 10+ noteworthy incidents every day. (You can get a better sense by comparing to this time frame from my report from last year, although that report too is just a sampling.) Slow processing times, ongoing expenses, redactions, and recurring issues with the city’s own datasets have made this work extremely difficult.
I have approximately 20 additional reports which I have requested but not obtained. These include:
7/10: A woman booked for Bias-Motivated Harassment. She was back out of jail the next day. As of 9/4 – almost two months later – I am still waiting for this report.
7/11: A man fled a traffic stop (bike) into a residential neighborhood just after midnight. Multiple officers pursued him and took him into custody. I was asked about this by someone who lives in that neighborhood. I still don’t know the outcome of this call, in particular whether he was actually arrested.
7/29: Another Bias-Motivated Harassment, in the 1000 block of Arapahoe. This would have been at or near the main public library. I don’t know if anyone was arrested.
7/31: SEXUAL ASSAULT-VICTIM AGE 15-17, also in the 1000 block of Arapahoe. I don’t know if anyone was arrested.
8/8: Harassment – Ethnic Intimidation at 14xx Walnut. This would have been at or near the downtown bus station. I don’t know if anyone was arrested.
8/13: A man arrested for felony Menacing – Intimidation – Use/Simulate Firearm/Knife/Bludgeon. This was in the 2500 block of Arapahoe.
9/1: A man at the shelter, 4869 Broadway, who was reported possibly trying to light himself on fire in the bathroom. CIRT was called in as well. Per the scanner, nothing was currently on fire, but there was smoke. He was arrested and charged with 4th Degree Arson and Reckless Endangerment. At his court hearing the following day, the judge specified that he was not allowed to have any fire-starting materials.
Robbery / Assault at 30th and Arapahoe
7/31
30th and Arapahoe Ave
10:30 PM
Officers responded regarding a woman who was reportedly harassing people at a bus stop. They contacted a man who said he was settling in for the night. The woman approached him and asked for a cigarette, which he gave her. As she was walking away, she “suddenly and without warning” kicked another man, who was his friend and was sleeping nearby. He said he confronted the woman, who called him a “sinner.” She then flicked away the cigarette he had given her and asked him for another one.
After he refused, she allegedly began grabbing his belongings, took his cellphone from his hand, and threw it to the ground. She left when the man said he was calling the police. Officers located her nearby.
The man who was kicked said he was just falling asleep when he was suddenly kicked. He appeared shocked and upset. He said he had done nothing wrong and did not understand why he had been kicked. He had a welt and rated the pain from the kick a 7 on a 1-10 scale.
The woman reportedly made numerous religious statements to officers, including describing herself as an angel and saying she was cleaning up loiterers. She also made statements that police were evil and trying to harm her.
Police learned she had been involved in several other disturbances earlier that day. At a coffee shop, she yelled at customers and called them demons. At a nearby ice cream shop, she told patrons they were demons and dumped out spoons and trash before leaving.
The woman was arrested and booked into the Boulder County Jail on charges of Robbery and 3rd Degree Assault.
Assault on Officer Following Reported Fight
8/1
30th and Arapahoe Ave
4:30 PM
Officers responded regarding a fight involving several men near 30th and Arapahoe. Dispatch initially reported two men fighting, but later reports indicated as many as five people were involved and that someone might have a knife. Upon their arrival, the fight had broken up; however, witnesses flagged officers down and indicated that one of the men involved was boarding an RTD bus.
Officers contacted the man and attempted to detain him. Police said he resisted and spit directly into an officer’s face and mouth. During the ensuing struggle, he also allegedly head-butted the officer. Officers eventually placed him in restraints and took him to the hospital for a medical clearance, then to jail.
One witness told police he saw a larger man repeatedly punching a smaller man who was backing away; police believed the smaller man was likely the man they arrested. Another witness reported seeing four men kicking and punching him as he tried to get away. Police documented several injuries to him, including blood around his mouth and swelling near his eye.
The man was arrested on charges of 2nd Degree Assault on a peace officer, obstruction, and resisting arrest. The circumstances of the original fight, including possible charges against other participants, remained under investigation.
DUI at the Shelter
8/3
4869 Broadway, the shelter
3:50 PM
Officers responded to the shelter for a possible DUI. They spoke with two witnesses who said they saw the car being driven erratically as it entered the parking lot, and that the driver was barely awake. They said they were able to get the keys away from him after the car was turned off.
Officers contacted the man, who had a small dog with him, in the driver’s seat. He said he had been staying at the shelter. They noticed he smelled of alcohol and had watery eyes and slurred speech. He said he had been driving around. He initially denied drinking but later said he’d had two beers about five hours earlier. He was unable to walk without assistance. He refused roadside testing but ultimately submitted to a breath test. His BAC was 0.339, more than four times the legal limit.
The man also had expired plates and could not provide proof of insurance. He said he had two prior DUI convictions in Washington state. Officers found two 1.75-liter vodka bottles in the car, one empty and one unopened, along with another alcoholic drink. He said a family member had died seven days earlier and that this was why he had been drinking.
The man was arrested and booked into the Boulder County Jail on charges of DUI-alcohol, DUI per se/excessive alcohol content, displaying expired plates, and failure to provide proof of insurance.
The small dog was retrieved by animal control and taken to the Humane Society for safekeeping.
Warrant Arrest Turns Into Stolen Wallet Case
8/4
30th and Aurora Ave
10:42 AM
Officers responded for a welfare check on a man with a blanket slumped over in a camping chair in a parking lot. Since he was technically trespassing, they obtained his name and learned he had three outstanding FTAs on assorted charges. He was compliant with his arrest. His cat, which he had on a leash, was taken to the Humane Society for safekeeping.
Officers inventorying the man’s backpack found six credit and debit cards belonging to three other people, along with other property. When asked about the backpack, the man denied it was his.
Officers contacted one of the victims. She said her wallet had been stolen at a grocery store in South Boulder. Shortly before discovering the theft, she had found a lost cat, picked it up, and helped reunite it with a man who was looking for it. The cat’s name, which was distinctive, was very similar to the name of the cat the suspect had with him when he was arrested.
The man was booked into the jail on the three outstanding warrants and new charges of felony criminal possession of four or more financial transaction devices and petty theft.
Man Struck in Face with Gallon Paint Can
8/6
14xx Canyon, Circle K
9:11 AM
Officers responded regarding a reported assault after which the suspect had fled. They met with the victim, who said the suspect had been asked to leave the property. He offered to buy the suspect some food to get him to leave. He said the suspect, who was holding a one-gallon can of paint, struck him in the face with it. He showed officers redness on his cheek and jaw, along with a loose tooth, and rated the pain as 8–9 out of 10. The impact also splattered paint across the front of the store.
The manager told officers the suspect had been outside the store asking customers for money. She asked him to leave, and surveillance video showed him swing the paint can toward her head, without making contact. Shortly afterward, the video showed him swing the can at the victim’s head.
Officers located the suspect nearby with the paint can and paint splattered on his face. He was arrested and taken to jail on a charge of felony 2nd degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon. The victim was taken to the hospital.
The suspect had been arrested on 8/2 – four days earlier – on charges of 3rd Degree Assault, Harassment, and Hindering Transportation. He was back out on 8/4, two days later. I don’t know the details of that incident.
On 8/13, an officer saw the victim behind the Dushanbe Tea House and engaged him. The victim said his jaw had clicked for several days after the assault, but that his loose tooth seemed to be settling down and he no longer thought it would fall out. The officer observed no visible facial injuries or bruising.
Overnight Break-in/Theft Attempt
8/7
64xx Arapahoe Ave, Eco-Cycle
3:49 AM
Officers responded to a business regarding a theft in progress that an employee was watching on security cameras. The employee described two men with flashlights inside the fenced property going through bicycles. Officers found a hole cut in the fence, bins of copper wire near the opening, two backpacks, knives, and burglary tools.
Officers found one man hiding beneath a wheeled excavator. He admitted taking copper wire from the property and said entering the site had been the other man’s idea. His backpack contained bolt cutters, pliers, screwdrivers and other burglary tools. He was arrested on charges including obstruction, 2nd degree trespass, possession of burglary tools, criminal attempt, and attempted theft.
The other man’s backpack contained two apparently stolen laptops, meth, fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Police later identified him from surveillance footage and other evidence.
The next morning, officers located the second man at an encampment along the railroad tracks nearby, where they observed several tents and a large number of disassembled bicycles. He was taken to jail, but because jail incarceration standards did not allow him to be lodged, he was booked and released on charges including 2nd degree trespass, attempted theft, possession of a controlled substance, fentanyl possession, and drug paraphernalia.
Assault Immediately After Earlier Police Contact
8/7
28th and Arapahoe Ave
7:19 AM
Officers responded regarding a man reportedly charging at two people. Upon arrival, they saw the man walking into the roadway and showing signs of intoxication. He admitted having an open container. Officers cited him for possession/consumption of alcohol in public.
As officers were walking away, the man suddenly got up and shoved another man in the shoulder hard enough that the victim stepped backward. The incident was captured on a patrol car camera. The victim had been sleeping under a blanket next to a shopping cart full of belongings and was just getting up.
The suspect, whose mood fluctuated while speaking with officers, said he was just “playing” with the victim because they were friends. The victim said the shove caused very little pain and repeatedly said he did not want the suspect charged.
The suspect was arrested for 3rd Degree Assault. Per the report, as officers walked him to a patrol car, he “said various racially derogative terms and made various statements that were graphically sexual in nature.” Officers also found a small baggie containing remnants of an apparent crystalline substance (possibly meth). The baggie was discarded and no drug charges were filed.
This victim is the same person who was assaulted by the woman at the bus stop at 30th and Arapahoe on 7/31.
Fight Over Filming Outside Coffee Shop
8/7
13xx College Ave, Starbucks
9:24 AM
Officers responded regarding an assault. They contacted a man who said he was filming people outside a coffee shop when another man confronted him and struck his phone and hand, causing the phone to fall. In response, he punched the other man, who fell to the ground. Witnesses later reported that he continued punching the man between 5-20 more times while he was on the ground.
Officers determined that although the second man initiated the physical contact, the suspect’s response exceeded lawful self-defense. He was arrested. Officers allowed him to arrange for someone to retrieve his dog, bicycle, and backpack.
The victim, who suffered a bleeding head laceration, was taken to the hospital. He was cited for harassment for striking the suspect’s phone and hand.
The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment of various medical issues, some of which were unrelated to the incident. While in the ER, he was recording with his phone; security advised it was not allowed and took his phone. He began yelling and saying he would sue the hospital and the security staff should be fired. He calmed down once the ER door was shut. A charge of criminal mischief was added after he damaged a bed. (This report contains some redactions here.) He was ultimately booked and jailed for 3rd Degree Assault and Criminal Mischief under $300.
The suspect, who has been discussed on Reddit (r/boulder), has a history of filming people in public against their wishes.
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