The getaway driver involved in the robbery of the First American Cash Advance in Longmont about 9:30 a.m. Thursday has been identified and is being sought by Longmont police, Longmont Police Cmdr. Tim Lewis said today.
The getaway driver, a Longmont resident, is believed to be hiding with friends in Denver or trying to make his way back to his Longmont home, said Lewis.
Police are not releasing his name at this time.
The manhunt is a continuation of events Thursday afternoon in Jefferson County hours after the Longmont holdup.
An alert Lakewood police officer spotted the getaway car about 1 p.m. at the Colorado Mills Shopping Center and tried to make a traffic stop. The car, containing three individuals, sped away and eluded officers until it was spotted abandoned near West 14th Avenue and Pike Street in Jefferson County.
An alert employee of a nearby King Soopers at 17171 S. Golden Road flagged down police and said two of the suspects were in the store.
One of the suspects bolted from a bathroom, ran out of the store and was tackled by police.
The man was identified as Theodore “Teddy” Lopez, 42, a man with an extensive criminal record and gang affiliations, said Lewis.
Lopez was identified as the man who entered First America Cash Advance, roughed up and inappropriately touched the two female employees and threatened to kill them if they talked to police, Lewis said today.
A thorough search of the King Soopers failed to locate a second suspect.
But Lewis said that about 7 p.m. Thursday a second man in the getaway car was spotted at his Longmont home. The 52-year-old man’s story is “not adding up, it’s nothing but lies,” said Lewis.
Because the 52-year-old is not considered a threat to the community, he has not been arrested but police “are continuing to build a case against him,” said Lewis.
Lopez has been arrested for investigation of aggravated robbery, second-degree kidnapping, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender. He is being held in the Boulder County Jail.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the getaway driver.Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
