Denver police are investigating to determine whether a man arrested in Jefferson County this morning is the same person who kidnapped a woman and stole her car Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 24-year-old William L. Lornes. He was being held in Jefferson County Jail on suspicion of aggravated motor theft as well as traffic charges including careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
On Wednesday afternoon in Denver, the woman reported being approached by a man who held her at gunpoint and told her to get into the trunk of her four-door 2004 Saturn Ion.
The man then began driving the car northeast. At about 3 p.m. the victim was able to escape from the trunk while the car was stopped near East 8th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and call police.
At 3 a.m. this morning Jefferson County Sheriff deputies located the stolen car after the suspect crashed it on U.S. Highway 285, said Sonny Jackson, spokesman for the Denver Police Department.
The suspect was gone by the time deputies arrived. Deputies soon learned the car was wanted in Denver in connection to the kidnapping.
While clearing the accident a deputy spotted a man matching the victim’s description riding in a taxicab toward Denver, Jackson said.
Deputies followed the taxi and notified the Colorado State Patrol. Soon after, deputies and troopers pulled the cab over on C-470 between Morrison Road and Alameda Avenue.
The suspect was arrested without incident, Jackson said.
Jackson said he did not know when the suspect will be transferred to Denver, where he could face charges of kidnapping, menacing, burglary and auto theft.
Denver police are not looking for any additional suspects.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
