Shooter linked to holdup in Topeka

By Tim Hrenchir

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

What began as the robbery of a gun shop and the theft of a pickup truck in Topeka ended in a high-speed chase west of Denver with the driver's arrest after he fired a shot at sheriff's deputies, authorities said Friday.

Jacob Anthony Avila, 22, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Golden, Colo., in connection with the attempted murder of a peace officer, said Jim Shires, spokesman for sheriff's department.

Deputies recovered a pickup, which had been reported stolen just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday at J.M. Co., 3030 N.W. Topeka Blvd.

Topeka police Lt. Dean McWilliams said a man had entered the business, obtained a handgun inside, then demanded money, firearms and the keys to an employee's pickup. The robber drove away in the pickup, which had been parked outside.

Shires said a Jefferson County, Colo., deputy saw the truck at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday in a construction area on Interstate 70 west of Denver and confirmed through a computer check it had been reported stolen in Topeka.

Shires said deputies were preparing to arrest the driver when Avila fired a gunshot and the pickup sped away, reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour. No one was wounded.

An Idaho Springs, Colo., police officer subsequently threw a "stop stick" device into the pickup's path on I-70. The stop stick deflated the tires on the right side of the pickup, causing the driver to slow down, Shires said. The pickup then left the highway.

Shires said one deputy drove beside the pickup and intentionally struck it, causing it to spin, while another rammed his patrol car head-on into the pickup to keep Avila from escaping.

Deputies arrested Avila and seized a handgun from inside the pickup, Shires said.

Avila and the deputy were taken to a hospital, where both were treated, then released.

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