That was pretty much the story regarding a tactical action not far from Lyons yesterday. The Larimer County SWAT team, joined by officers from multiple agencies in the region, responded to a shooting report by surrounding the remote property in question and staying on site for much of the day due to a perceived threat to public safety in this flood-stricken area.
They needn't have -- because no one was home.
At around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, deputies assigned to the Estes Park area received a report about a disturbance on the 3500 block of Colard Lane, in unincorporated Larimer County's Blue Mountain area near Lyons. Specifically, a 54-year-old Hispanic male was said to have fired a gun and then barricaded himself in the home.
This particular stretch of Colard is so remote that even Google Maps hasn't yet captured video of it for posterity. However, we found some photos of a since-sold property on the 3600 block of Colard that should give you an idea of the rugged surroundings. Here's one shot....
...and here's another: Although LCSO reps were able to confirm that no one was missing or had been injured in the incident, they still feared the man could do some harm. So, "due to the remote location, road closures and detours caused by the recent flood," they called in assistance from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, the Colorado State Patrol and Larimer County SWAT.The latter unit was "deployed as a precaution to insure public safety," the first LCSO press release stated, adding, "We don't anticipate necessarily any issues but want to err on the side of caution."
Said caution was characterized by approximately eight squad cars and two ambulances, all with emergency lights and sirens cranked up, the Longmont Times-Call reports. But the man who prompted this display wasn't around to enjoy it. A subsequent release revealed that after a search warrant was executed, officers discovered that "the subject was not in the home and is believed to have fled prior to law enforcement arrival."
Added detail comes from Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith on his Facebook page.
In his post, Smith wrote that "staff from LCSO, BCSO and CSP spent a good portion of the day up in the Blue Mountain area on this call. Deputies were not able to locate the suspect as of this time, but no one was injured and our investigation continues into the incident."The LCSO notes that the suspect is thought to have fled in a vehicle, but a description of the ride hasn't been shared. Wonder if its driver knows about all the excitement he missed....
More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "CU-Boulder armed kidnapping report -- but did it (and other campus crimes) really happen?"
