An alleged car thief accused of firing a sawed-off shotgun at police, who was then shot by officers, has been identified.
Eric Hess, 25, of Arvada, fired a saw-offed shotgun at an officer Wednesday night as he tried to hide on a roof of a building in the parking lot of Costco Warehouse, Westminster police said.
Hess has been arrested several times for drugs and weapons violations, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, including a Dec. 14 arrest in Arvada for amphetamine possession and carrying a concealed knife.
The second charge was in violation of a previous weapons offense, according to records.
A woman who was taken into custody on the rooftop has not been identified by police.
The pair had allegedly stolen a car in Arvada about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and were eluding police. Police said the couple ditched the stolen car and were trying to break into a truck near West 91st Avenue and Marshall Court when they were confronted by the truck’s owner.
The couple fled, and police dogs help track the pair to the roof of the building in the Costco parking lot, west of Westminster Mall.
The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave while an investigation takes place, a standard procedure in police-involved shootings, according to the department.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
