GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — A bank robbery suspect who fled to a nearby hotel Thursday morning in Greenwood Village after allegedly opening fire on an officer surrendered peacefully after 3.5 hours of negotiations, police said at 6:06 p.m.
The incident began at 10:38 a.m. Thursday when a person called 911 from inside the KeyBank at 9250 E. Arapahoe Road to report a bank robbery. The person said the suspect was an armed Black male and he appeared to be working alone, Oliver said in a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Officers with the Greenwood Village Police Department arrived at the scene at 10:40 a.m. As the first officer pulled up, he saw a Black man walking southbound away from the bank toward the adjacent Target parking lot. The officer parked his car and tried to approach the suspect from behind, Oliver said. The suspect saw him and started to run. The officer followed.
At 10:42 a.m., the suspect and officer exchanged one round of gunfire, followed by a second round. Oliver said investigators believe the suspect fired the first shots.
The suspect continued to run south and ignored commands to stop, Oliver said. He eventually reached the shared parking lot of the Sleep Inn Hotel and Extended Stay America, both located off E. Costilla Avenue near the intersection of Interstate 25 and E. Arapahoe Road.
More officers began to arrive at the scene and saw a Black man run into the Extended Stay America. Officers secured a perimeter.
Multiple other agencies arrived to help the Greenwood Village Police Department, including the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, Aurora Police Department, Denver Police Department, South Metro Fire Rescue, and FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Oliver said.
Officials sent a reverse 911 to all the guests in the hotel asking them to shelter in place. Later, all guests at both hotels were asked to evacuate, which was completed by 1:45 p.m.
At 3:52 p.m., officers isolated the suspect to his hotel room and were able to make contact with him. Negotiations continued for about two hours until 5:51 p.m., when he surrendered.
He was not injured.
Officers recovered an undisclosed amount of money and the weapon that was used in the robbery.
He was booked into the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Detention Facility where he's being held on a $1,000,000 bond on these charges:
- Kidnapping
- Criminal attempt first-degree murder
- First-degree assault on a peace officer
- Aggravated robbery
- Theft $20,000 or more but less than $100,000
- Menacing with a deadly weapon
The suspect was identified on Friday as Jonathan Martin Bell, 29. He was a guest at the hotel.
Oliver noted that the police department also believes the FBI is investigating if the suspect is the same person responsible for multiple other robberies in the area, but they're still waiting for official confirmation on that as well.
