A man who allegedly took justice into his own hands by chasing down then shooting a man who robbed him in his home Thursday night now faces two counts of attempted murder.
The man, identified only as Thomas, is being held in the Jefferson County jail pending the filing of formal charges, said Jacki Kelley, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
Two other men, identified only as Joshua and Joseph, have been arrested for investigation of robbery. Joshua also faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a gun.
The full names of the three suspects have been withheld until investigators can perform identification lineups.
Joseph, who was shot twice in the legs, is undergoing treatment at a hospital while under the custody of the sheriff’s office.
It’s a crime story with a lot of twists and turns involving apparent friends who would end up aiming and even firing guns at each other.
It started before 8:30 p.m. at a home in the 15000 block of Swiss Road in Pine.
Joshua and Joseph allegedly arrived at the home to “hang out” with Thomas and his girlfriend.
But during the visit, Joshua and Joseph pulled out guns and robbed Thomas. They took a wallet, cash, keys and a cellphone.
As the two suspects drove away from the home in a white Dodge pickup, Thomas allegedly ran into his front yard and fired a gun in the air.
An unidentified witness called 911 reporting that a man, who would later turn out to be Thomas, had pulled up next to his home in a black Jeep, claiming to have been robbed in his home.
Thomas took off chasing a white Dodge pickup.
Ten minutes later, Joseph called 911. The circumstances had switched — the suspect had become the victim. Joseph said a black Jeep had pulled up beside his pickup and shot him, wounding him in the legs.
Joseph was driving the white truck as he was still being chased by Thomas on C-470, according to Kelley’s news release. The truck had been fired upon several times. Joseph said he was trying to make it to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies searching for the three men located the black Jeep and the white truck near Heritage and Golden Ridge roads.
The sheriff’s office is in the process of obtaining multiple search warrants.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or
