DENVER—Denver police honored four citizens who helped officer make arrests, including a man with a broken foot who chased a suspect and a couple whose car was rammed by liquor store robbery suspects.
The commendation letters, issued during a ceremony Monday, honored Jason Ruedy, a mortgage company owner who helped an officer handcuff a vandalism and assault suspect; and Bobby Bardon and Angela Teague, who chased four liquor store robbery suspects before the suspects noticed them and rammed their car.
Police also honored Steve Banet, a University of Denver campus officer who helped nab a convicted sex offender loitering near the women’s locker room at the school.
At least four times a year, Denver police honor citizens who assist police or other Denver residents.
During the ceremony, Ruedy recalled how he hobbled down the street with a broken foot, confronting a man “with big creepy eyes” and bloody hands who had just punched out the windows on three vehicles and had busted a window in Ruedy’s house.
“That’s not an easy thing to do,” said Denver police Commander Deborah Dilley, describing the suspect’s violent state and strength in being able to bust the reinforced vehicle windows.
“Hey, you just broke my window,” Ruedy recalled telling the suspect, who turned on Ruedy and appeared ready to attack.
An officer who responded got out of his car and ordered the suspect to stop. Despite being sprayed with pepper spray, the man attacked the officer. Police say the suspect tried to take the officer’s gun away as the two wrestled on the ground Oct. 15.
“He threw the handcuffs and said, ‘I’m going to need your help, please,'” Ruedy recalled. “This was like being in a middle of a cop show. It was kind of mind boggling.”
Ruedy grabbed one of the suspect’s arms, put one cuff on and then reached around and grabbed the suspect’s other arm and handcuffed him.
Dilley said the suspect is serving six years in prison for the incident, and another four years for another incident involving an assault on another police officer in Jefferson County.
Small business owners Bardon and Teague say they were simply trying to get a license plate and give police a general idea of where the four liquor store robbery suspects were headed. Instead, they ended up having the front of their car damaged when the suspects noticed them and backed up, ramming their car March 26.
“At first it kind of slipped my mind that our son was with us and we were putting ourselves in danger,” Teague said. “And then we realized that we’ve gone a bit too far.”
Added Bardon: “I might stay a little further back, next time.”
All four liquor store robbery suspects were caught and are facing charges.
“The Denver Police Department could not be so successful without the support of the community,” Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said. “This is an example of that.”
