











Boulder robberies Aug. 11: A female CU student was robbed at gunpoint around 8:30 p.m. on the Boulder Creek Path north of the campus’s Recreation Center. The suspect rode a bicycle. Aug. 15: An armed gunman forced three women into Boulder Creek and stole their purses near the Boulder County Justice Center. He fired off a shot while fleeing on his bicycle; police believe it was accidental. Aug. 16: A woman was robbed — and subjected to unwanted sexual contact — by a bicycle-riding gunman in a Pearl Street parking garage around 11 p.m.







Police seek witnesses The suspect in the latest robbery, on Tuesday night, is described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s. He was around 5-feet-6-inches tall, with a round face and short spiky hair. He was wearing blue jeans and was riding a red beach-cruiser style bicycle. Anyone with information about the armed robberies is asked to call the Boulder Police Department’s tip line at 303-441-1974. Those with information who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. Tips also can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at crimeshurt.com.

Boulder police are investigating the third armed robbery in less than a week by a bicycle-riding gunman — this one involving sexual contact — that investigators say is “probably” the work of the same man.

In the latest robbery, a 40-year-old woman told police she was held up at gunpoint around 11 p.m. Tuesday as she gathered items from her car in an apartment-building parking garage at 2301 Pearl St.

The description of that suspect, and the fact that he rode a bike, is similar to the accounts of the victims — who are all women — in the armed robberies on Aug. 11 and Monday near the Boulder Creek Path, police said.

“The information we have indicated they are related,” Chief Mark Beckner said Wednesday. “We can never be sure until we solve it, but we are currently operating under the premise that they are probably related.”

Police are stepping up patrols in the area, spokeswoman Kim Kobel said, and officers want members of the public to call 911 if they see anything suspicious. Beckner himself walked the Boulder Creek Path on Wednesday afternoon to talk to the public about the robberies.

Third robbery

In Tuesday’s robbery, the victim told police that she saw a Hispanic man on a bicycle ride through the parking garage when she pulled in, and she saw the man circle back around as she was collecting her purse and several other items from the trunk of her car, Kobel said.

As the woman started up the stairs of the garage, the man — no longer on his bike — pointed a handgun at her and asked what she was carrying, Kobel said. The woman gave the man her purse and most of her packages.

The woman told police the man then lifted the hem of her dress to look at her underwear and grabbed her wrist and placed it on his groin.

She said someone else in the garage made a noise, which startled the suspect, and he fled on foot. Kobel said they believe he retrieved his bike, which officers could not locate.

The woman was not injured.

She described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his early 20s. She said he was around 5-feet-6-inches tall, with a round face and short spiky hair. He was wearing blue jeans and was riding a red beach-cruiser style bicycle.

Boulder police are investigating another armed robbery that took place around 4 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of Canyon Boulevard, along the Boulder Creek Path. Three women were ordered into the creek at gunpoint and robbed of their purses by a Hispanic male who fled on a silver bike. He fired his weapon as he was leaving.

Detectives also are working with the University of Colorado Police Department to investigate an armed robbery on Aug. 11 along the creek path on campus near the Recreation Center. That suspect also was described as a Hispanic male riding a bike.

‘It seems like a normal day’

In addition to the extra patrols, Beckner and Deputy Chief Greg Testa patrolled the creek path near the Boulder Public Library on foot Wednesday, talking to residents about the robberies. Beckner said that from his conversations, people still feel the busier areas of the creek path are safe.

“We’re not finding a lot of fear,” Beckner said. “People are enjoying the creek and the bike path. It seems like a normal day.”

While reading a book on a creekside bench, Laura Weeden said that it was comforting to see the extra uniforms and the police chief himself patrolling the area and informing people on the path.

“It’s good to know so I can be a little more cautious,” she said. “At least I know what’s going on.”

But some residents did express concern over the possible escalation of the encounters.

“This guy is kind of gutsy, especially since the cops know now,” said Barbara Bear, who was walking a friend’s dog along the creek.

Bear, who has lived in Boulder for 16 years and uses the creek whenever she is dog-sitting, said she avoided certain areas of the path and took other precautions after hearing about the robberies.

“Yesterday I didn’t carry a bag with me, so maybe I wouldn’t get accosted,” she said. “I felt more apprehensive. It definitely changed my feeling about how safe it is.”

Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329 or byarsm@dailycamera.com.