In Parker, Colorado, the police made their first felony arrest in the new 23rd Judicial District by apprehending a driver in a stolen vehicle who was also accused of theft from a local business. The incident occurred on Tuesday.
On the morning of January 14th, a Parker resident contacted the police after witnessing two individuals stealing a snow blower from a business located along Parker Road. The witness provided crucial details such as the vehicle involved—a Jeep Grand Cherokee—and an Idaho license plate number. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the car had been reported stolen in Denver.
Utilizing the police department’s Flock Safety license plate reader system, authorities were promptly alerted about the stolen vehicle’s location, leading them to initiate a search for the driver.
The officers believed that the suspects may go to a construction site to try to steal other items, and “that hunch paid off,” the department said. When officers found the Jeep, they followed the driver into a parking lot near Lincoln Avenue and Parker Road. At one point, two suspects in the car got out, but when they saw the officers, they got back into the car and “fled at a high rate of speed” in the parking lot, according to the affidavit.
A police officer followed the suspect vehicle and used the “patrol car to block the Jeep from its rear” without colliding with the other car, the affidavit said. The suspect driver then reversed, struck the front of the patrol vehicle, and accelerated backward into a grassy ravine before crashing into a tree, as seen on police dashboard camera footage.
The driver then tried to flee before police used a Taser on him and arrested him just before 8:30 a.m., according to an arrest affidavit.
He was identified as Dominic Leon Saiz, 37, of Aurora. A second suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested without incident.
Parker police released a video of the arrest, which you can watch below.
Parker police make first felony arrest in new 23rd Judicial District
Police later learned that both suspects were on probation for motor vehicle theft, the department said. They were transported to the Douglas County Jail.
Saiz was arrested on charges of vehicle theft, eluding police, aggravated motor vehicle theft, and theft.
The Jeep was likely a total loss, according to the affidavit, and the patrol car sustained about $1,500 in damage. Officers also spoke with a witness who said the suspects had stolen about $2,000 worth of tools from his work van, which had been parked at a construction site.
“The combination of an invested resident, new technology and excellent police work led to the arrest of these suspects,” the department posted on social media.
Josh Hans, public information officer with the Parker Police Department, confirmed this suspect was the first felony arrest in the new 23rd Judicial District. The arrest came on the judicial district’s first official day.
New District Attorney George Brauchler, who previously served as DA in the 18th Judicial District, was granted a request to increase Saiz’s bond to $100,000.
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Saiz’s criminal history spans multiple pages and includes a history of eluding, but he has also been convicted of aggravated witness intimidation, burglary, motor vehicle theft and others. At the time of his arrest, he was on parole for crimes in Denver and Grand counties. In some of the cases where he was convicted of the charges against him, he was let out early.
Saiz is next due in court on Jan. 21.
The Parker Police Department is continuing to investigate this case. Anybody with information is asked to call the department at 303-841-9800.
