By Shelly Bradbury
The Denver Post
THORNTON, Colo. — A Thornton police officer was wounded in a shootout in a residential neighborhood Sunday night, and the suspect remained on the loose Monday, according to the police department.
Officers responded to a report of an “unwanted person” in the 12800 block of Ulster Street near the Adams County Fairgrounds around 9:30 p.m. Sunday , according to a police news release. Luis Arebalo , 37, fired multiple shots at the officers as they spoke with the person who called for help, police alleged.
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One officer was shot and is expected to survive, according to the police department. Another officer shot at Arebalo, but it is unclear whether the officer’s gunfire struck the man. Arebalo fled and had not been apprehended by early Monday morning.
Police asked that anyone who sees the man call 911. Officers asked residents in the neighborhood to shelter-in-place immediately after the shooting and searched the area for several hours before lifting that restriction.
Arebalo’s Colorado criminal history shows he previously pleaded guilty to reckless driving in connection with a November 2024 incident. The details of that incident were not immediately available Monday.
Thornton police did not immediately return a request for more information.
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