Last Monday, a simple traffic stop on a pair of wrong-way scooter riders on the 1400 block of North Quitman Street turned into a foot chase and a gun seizure, according to Denver police. Officers with Denver Police District 1 tried to contact two people riding electric scooters against traffic, and both riders bolted. After a short pursuit, one person was caught. Police say they found a loaded AK-pattern pistol tucked into that suspect’s waistband, fitted with a 30-round magazine and a round in the chamber. The person who was detained is being investigated for multiple weapon-related offenses and is presumed innocent.
In a post on the department’s Facebook page, Denver police said District 1 officers had spotted multiple riders going against traffic, moved in to make contact, and watched as two riders ran while a third was detained after a brief chase. Officers then recovered the loaded AK-pattern pistol and the high-capacity magazine from the suspect and took that person into custody for investigation of multiple weapon-related offenses, according to the Denver Police Department on a Facebook post.
Weapon And Legal Context
Under Colorado law, any magazine that can accept more than 15 rounds is treated as a large-capacity magazine. State statutes generally prohibit the possession, sale, or transfer of those magazines, except in narrow, grandfathered situations. If someone has a large-capacity magazine during the commission of a felony or a crime of violence, the charge can be elevated to a felony, while possession on its own is typically filed as a misdemeanor. The statutory language appears in Colorado’s large-capacity magazine provisions, including Sections 18-12-301 and 18-12-302, as published on Justia.
Scooters And Police Encounters In Denver
Police say small, nimble vehicles like scooters can make already tense encounters tougher, since riders can take off quickly and sometimes turn up armed. Last March, officers tracked scooter riders after ShotSpotter alerts near Paco Sánchez Park and later recovered firearms during a confrontation that drew heavy public scrutiny and an internal investigation. That case underscored how quickly a seemingly routine stop can escalate when officers believe people may be carrying weapons, as reported by Denverite…