DENVER—A man found dead in an apartment complex after a carjacking, televised chase through suburban Denver and hostage standoff had a lengthy criminal record, a recent arrest and was a suspect in a string of burglaries.
Stewart Steven Garrett, 39, apparently killed himself after officers deployed gas in the apartment complex around midnight Wednesday, police said. During the car chase he fired at least one shot at officers, police said.
No one was injured.
“We’re really grateful nobody else got hurt,” said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson.
Denver and Littleton police said Garrett may have stolen a motorcycle that he drove to a mechanic shop, where he stole a Buick on Tuesday. He later stole a van from a bar, then carjacked a Honda coupe with the female driver still inside, later releasing her.
He then led officers on a chase that ended at an apartment complex in Denver where he took an unknown number of people hostage.
He released all, including a woman he held for several hours while police negotiated with him.
Police believe Garrett also may have been on a motorcycle involved in a police chase earlier Tuesday.
Littleton police spokesman Lt. Mike Broadhead said investigators have linked Garrett to at least five burglaries over the weekend into Tuesday. One of those burglaries included a man walking into a home and confronting a man and a woman who were in their kitchen. Investigators believe that it was Garrett who pulled out a gun and demanded the keys to the couple’s Escalade on Sunday.
“He’s probably a suspect in more cases than we’ll ever know,” Broadhead said.
Broadhead said Garrett dumped the Escalade in a subdivision in Bow Mar on the western border of Littleton and ran around the neighborhood, trying to steal a car. Strewn about the neighborhood was clothing, including a coat, and a stolen checkbook.
Broadhead said they didn’t hear from Garrett until Tuesday afternoon.
Garrett, declared a habitual offender in 2004, had a criminal record dating back to a 1986 arrest for burglary, driving under the influence, theft and drug possession. Most recently he was arrested in August on suspicion of felony assault.
It was unclear why he went on a crime spree. Jackson did not release any details of what he told SWAT negotiators. Broadhead said witnesses told investigators that it appeared Garrett was under the influence of a narcotic, possibly methamphetamine.
“He had an opportunity to hurt a lot of people and he chose not to,” Broadhead said. “So whatever was going on with him, at least he was able to keep it together and not hurt other people.”
