20-05-2025
2 arrested for menacing couple, Weld County deputy and barricading inside home
DENVER (KDVR) — A 37-year-old man and his wife were arrested in Weld County after the man allegedly menaced a deputy and a couple while driving in the early morning hours on Monday.
The Weld County Sheriff's Office first encountered the man, identified as Jose Mejia, at 3:30 a.m. on Monday. A deputy reported that he was being tailgated by a blue sedan.
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The man behind the wheel was allegedly driving aggressively, speeding up and slowing whenever the deputy sped up or slowed, and failed to stop at the stop sign at the corner of 25th Avenue and O Street.
The deputy continued to the sheriff's office and reported the driver pulled up alongside him, driving eastbound in the westbound lane. The vehicle was last seen by the deputy on Monday morning near the Platte Valley Detention Center and heading west.
'Minutes later' a couple called law enforcement and said a man in a blue sedan had pointed a gun at them and followed them on O Street. He allegedly followed the couple to 8th Avenue and D Street, pulled alongside their vehicle's passenger side and pointed a handgun at the passenger.
The couple 'sped away,' according to the Greeley Police Department, but heard several gunshots at the same time. Nearby officers heard the gunshots as well.
The department reported that an officer saw the blue sedan pull into the gas station at the corner of 35th Avenue and 4th Street and tried to pull the vehicle over. The man fled, according to Greeley police, driving south on 35th Avenue. The agency said that Mejia was driving at a high rate of speed and flattened both passenger-side tires during the pursuit.
Mejia pulled into a townhome subdivision in the 2100 block of 35th Avenue, ran into one of the townhomes with a door already open, and shut it behind him, the Greeley police reported.
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At 4:25 a.m., the department sent a Reverse911 call to the neighborhood's residents. Local schools were placed on a secure status. The safety precautions were lifted at 10:34 a.m.
Mejia was arrested at 9:25 a.m., according to the agency, and is facing charges of menacing, vehicular eluding, illegal discharge of a weapon, reckless endangerment, obstruction of police and failure to leave premises upon request of a peace officer.
Mejia's wife, Elena Garza-Mejia, 41, was also arrested. She is facing charges of obstruction of a police officer and failure to leave premises upon request of a peace officer.
The agency is still investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Elizabeth Finch at 970-350-9682.
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