Morning traffic on Colorado State Highway 7 near Lafayette turned tense on Thursday when a man allegedly pointed a handgun at passing drivers, triggering a major police response and a temporary road closure. Witnesses reported a disturbance near Airport Drive and said the man took off on foot into nearby fields, snarling the rush-hour commute as officers from Lafayette and surrounding agencies moved in.
According to FOX31 Denver, Lafayette police were dispatched around 7:15 a.m. after multiple callers said a man was pointing a handgun at vehicles on Highway 7. Officers later found a firearm in the area. Witnesses told investigators they had seen what looked like a disturbance between a man and a woman in a dark-blue, older-style van. The woman drove off in the van while the man walked northbound between County Line Road and Airport Drive.
Police described the suspect as white, with face tattoos and a bleeding face, wearing a black hoodie and brown, stained pants, and urged anyone who spots him to call 911.
What the law says
In Colorado, pointing a gun at someone is not just rude; it can be criminal. The conduct can support a criminal menacing charge, and if a firearm is involved, the case may be filed as a felony. State law provides that menacing becomes a felony “if committed by the use of a deadly weapon or by representing that one is armed.” Prosecutors will look at the evidence, including whether witnesses actually saw the weapon and whether victims were placed in imminent fear, as laid out in the Colorado menacing statute.
Police response and road closures
Lafayette and Erie officers shut down Highway 7 between Coal Creek Boulevard and Bonanza Drive while they searched the area and gathered statements. The highway reopened at about 8:45 a.m. One person was detained and later released pending further investigation, and officers say they recovered a handgun near the scene…