UPDATE MONDAY, 3:30 p.m. — The suspect has been identified as Joshua Michael Peterson. He has four active warrants for his arrest, two of which are felonies, according to the Lakeside Police Department. He had not yet been located as of 3:30 p.m.
LAKESIDE, Colo. — A handcuffed man who was detained on allegations of shoplifting escaped from an officer as she walked him from a police car toward the Lakeside Police Department.
A man whose hands were handcuffed behind his back broke free from police Sunday evening and escaped.
The man and a woman, who was a suspected accomplice, had been detained on allegations of fraud and shoplifting at the Walmart Supercenter located at 5957 W. 44th Ave., said Lakeside Police Assistant Police Chief Sam Vecchiarelli.
Police had not confirmed the man’s identity because he had several fake ID cards on him.
The officer took the man and woman back to the police department, but as they were walking from the car to the building, the man broke free from the officer and escaped.
Police set up a perimeter and officers from neighboring departments, including Denver, Wheat Ridge and Edgewater, plus a K-9 from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, started searching for the man.
He hadn’t been found as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
Vecchiarelli said the suspect had four outstanding warrants, including a felony offense. The potential charges from the Walmart incident could lead to additional felonies, he said.
Anybody who sees the handcuffed man or knows of his whereabouts is encouraged to call 911.
The female suspect, who also had outstanding warrants, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on investigation of fraud and shoplifting.