A Colorado Springs police officer has been cleared in the shooting of a white supremacist prison gang member following a burglary and chase late last year.
Colorado Springs officer Nicholas Hartbauer was justified when he fired his handgun on Dec. 30, 2015, and striking Thomas Guolee, according to a news release Monday by Lee Richards, spokeswoman for District Attorney Dan May.
Police had been called to the Sierra Springs Drive home of a former Colorado Department of Corrections officer.
When police arrived at the home, Guolee allegedly fired his gun at an officer. The officer was not struck. A car chase ensued.
Hartbauer shot Guolee after the member of the 211 Crew crashed a stolen car and took off running, the news release says.
Guolee was wounded in the thigh. He faces charges of , attempted burglary, vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Guolee is being held in the El Paso County jail on a $1 million bond.
Police officers are allowed to shoot suspects during an arrest or an escape or to defend himself, the news release said.
Following a “careful review” the Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office concluded that Hartbauer was justified in shooting Guolee.
Guolee was arrested for a parole violation in April of 2013 during an investigation into the shooting death of former Colorado Department of Corrections .
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell
