Police say woman attempted four carjackings in nine minutes

Suspect accused of firing 3 shots in brief incident

A woman attempted four carjackings in nine minutes in South Denver on Monday afternoon after she was confronted by two people about possible stolen property, according to Denver police.

The 22-year- old woman pointed a gun at eight people and fired three shots — hitting no one — during the brief incident, according to a police affidavit of probable cause filed against her. A Denver police officer broke a bone while arresting the woman, according to the affidavit.

The incident unfolded at about 1:49 p.m. in a parking lot near the intersection of East Hampden Avenue and South Dahlia Street. Two coworkers in the parking lot noticed a piece of clothing on the ground beside a truck and believed the clothing had been stolen recently from another coworker during a vehicle break-in.

They confronted a woman who was at the truck, and she responded by pointing a gun at them, according to the affidavit. The coworkers ran. The woman grabbed two bags from the truck and ran. She attempted to carjack a man who was sitting nearby in his vehicle, but the man gave her the wrong set of keys, according to the affidavit.

The woman then approached a man pumping gas and pointed a gun at the man and his brother. They gave up their wallets and keys, and the woman fired one shot as they fled, according to the affidavit. The woman then ran from the gas pumps, approached another woman and demanded her keys, but the woman could not find her key fob, according to the affidavit.

The suspect continued to a man who was eating lunch in his truck and pointed a gun at him, demanding his keys, police alleged. She fired one round in the air as the man got out of his truck.

As officers arrived, the woman abandoned the man’s truck and ran into a chiropractor’s office. She pointed a gun at a person at the front desk and demanded the woman’s car keys. When the employee refused, the suspect fired a shot into a wall. The front desk worker then handed over her keys. The woman left the office and was arrested outside about 1:58 p.m., according to the affidavit.

The woman is being held for investigation of attempted first- degree murder, menacing, robbery and assault charges. Investigators found more than 100 fentanyl pills and two stolen guns in the bags the woman took from the truck, police alleged.

The Denver Post is not identifying the woman because of the nature of the case.