Two hikers were robbed by armed men on a popular Boulder trail Saturday night, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department.
Dispatchers received a call at 9:44 p.m of an armed robbery on Flagstaff Summit Road, about a quarter mile above Flagstaff Road.
When deputies arrived, they found a male and female who said they had parked at the Realization Point Trailhead and began hiking up Flagstaff Summit Road toward Flagstaff Amphitheater.
The couple told investigators two men approached them at an overlook.
One of the men shined a flashlight at the hikers and brandished what appeared to be a handgun before ordering them to place all their belongings on the ground, according to the sheriff’s department.
The suspects gathered up the belongings, including cellphones and wallets, and ran toward the trailhead. Sheriff’s Sgt. Lance Enholm said armed robberies on trails are “extremely rare.”
The hikers said that when they parked at the trailhead, a silver SUV, possibly a Toyota, also was parked there.
The couple noticed that the SUV was gone when they returned to the trailhead.
A few minutes after the robbery, the victims used the cellphone of another couple who were hiking the trail to call 911.
The first suspect is described as 6-foot and wearing a dark hooded sweat shirt. The second is described as 5-foot-8 and wearing a white hooded sweat shirt.
Enholm said Flagstaff Road is a popular trail this time of year, with people hiking at night to see the Flagstaff Star — a long string of Christmas lights formed into the shape of a star that rests on the side of a nearby hill.
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com
