Wheat Ridge police confirmed this afternoon that the man shot at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing near Tijuana Saturday was a metro area man who is a suspect in a series of metro Denver purse-snatchings.
Richard Cress, 54, of Thornton reportedly tried to flee in a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe when a customs inspector asked him to pull into a secondary inspection area. The sport-utility vehicle hit several cars and a motorcycle, and nearly struck a customs officer.
Cress was shot once in the shoulder. He was released from a San Diego hospital Sunday and was arraigned this afternoon on federal assault charges, Wheat Ridge police said.
Last month, Wheat Ridge police named Cress as a suspect in at least 20 metro purse snatchings since January, including six in Wheat Ridge. At the time, police said the purse snatcher targeted women who left their purses in their unlocked vehicles as they pumped gasoline. Five victims ranged in age from 70 to 95.
The Tahoe that Cress was driving at the border crossing was stolen in Colorado Springs and outfitted with license plates stolen in Los Angeles, according to police.
Jefferson County prosecutors expect to charge Cress on robbery and theft against at-risk adults once “the federal charges are satisfied,” according to a statement from Wheat Ridge police.
Cress’s criminal record in Colorado dates to 1990, records show. His previous charges include robbery, theft, drunken driving, several escapes, drug charges, trespassing and traffic offenses, records show.
In 2007, he was sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to an escape charge in Adams County. He also has an arrest record in Denver, Jefferson, Boulder, Pueblo and Pitkin counties, according to court records.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
