An Aurora man was found guilty Wednesday of a string of crimes in June that led to him being shot by Denver police.
Keith A. Roberts, 31, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree assault, six counts of felony menacing, three counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, two counts of vehicular eluding, one count of reckless driving and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
The incident began in June 2017 when Denver police received a call claiming a man in a silver Chevrolet Impala had pointed an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle at a family near the intersection of East Elmendorf Place and North Tulsa Way. The police responded immediately and followed a car matching the description. Three patrol cars pursued Roberts, but he fled by weaving through traffic. During the chase he pointed a gun at the officers. The chase ended when the driver crashed his car at the entrance of the Robinson Condominium complex at East Alameda Parkway and East Ohio Avenue.
Roberts was shot and taken into custody. Police found the loaded rifle and a loaded handgun inside the vehicle.
“Another convicted felon obtained an assault rifle, and this is the result. For those who value our Second Amendment rights, we must vigorously and appropriately enforce our laws against those felons who illegally seek and obtain firearms of any kind. Anyone who threatens police and an innocent family with a weapon risks being shot and should expect to be held accountable and removed from our community,” said 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler. “Roberts could have been killed. He was lucky to escape his criminal conduct with felony convictions and prison.”
Sentencing will take place March 30.
