Jail inmate held on attempted murder charges has escaped

A jail inmate being held at the Downtown Detention Center on charges of attempted murder of a police officer escaped deputies during a prisoner transport Monday morning at the Denver Health medical center.

The Denver Police Department is now looking for 23-year-old Mauricio Venzor-Gonzalez. He is 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark green uniform with the letters CCMF, police say.

Venzor-Gonzalez had an appointment at the hospital Monday morning and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, according to the district attorney’s office.

Venzor-Gonzalez allegedly abducted his girl- friend and their 1½-yearold son at gunpoint from a Commerce City home in September, sparking an Amber Alert.

He engaged in a shootout with a Denver police officer and was shot three times. He hid in a house for two days without seeking medical treatment before he was taken into custody after a standoff.

During a news conference Monday, Sheriff Patrick Firman said VenzorGonzalez ran away from deputies about 6:30 a.m.

He said the loading dock area where Venzor-Gonzalez escaped has a fence and is considered a secure area of the hospital. He said inmates typically have two deputies transporting them.

Henning said VenzorGonzalez is considered very dangerous and individuals should not approach him.

On Monday night, officers were watching a home in Aurora that is connected to VenzorGonzalez, said John White, a Denver police spokesman. At some point, an SUV with two people inside of it took off from the home at a high speed.

Officers followed the SUV into Denver, and the pursuit came to an end in the area of East 41st Avenue and Albion Street, near the Park Hill Golf Club, with shots fired. The two people in the SUV were taken to Denver Health for injuries, White said. Further details on the injuries were not released immediately. No officers were injured. VenzorGonzalez was not in the SUV, White said.