Three men are behind bars after police say they pulled off an armed convenience store robbery on the 5600 block of East 56th Avenue in Commerce City on Wednesday, then tried to vanish into a nearby apartment complex.
According to police, one suspect pointed a handgun at the store clerk before the group bolted to a waiting vehicle. Officers later recovered two firearms, including the gun investigators say was used inside the store. Using camera technology to follow the getaway car, detectives tracked the suspects to a nearby apartment building and moved in.
In a social media post, the Commerce City Police Department said detectives traced the vehicle to the complex and spotted one man walking out of an apartment unit while two others were detained inside the same unit. The vehicle was placed on an evidentiary hold, and officers arrested at least one suspect on felony menacing and aggravated robbery charges, with the alleged accomplices facing robbery counts.
How police tracked the getaway vehicle
Investigators said they leaned on Flock camera data to follow the car from the convenience store to the apartment complex, part of a broader tech strategy the department has been ramping up this year. As Denver7 has reported, Commerce City has expanded its partnership with Flock Safety to build a real-time crime center that lets detectives sift through license plate hits and camera footage.
City records presented to council members say the program includes license plate readers, fixed-location cameras, and gunshot detection tools that officers argue help them identify suspects and track vehicles much faster than traditional methods.
Charges and legal context
According to the department, one suspect was booked on felony menacing and aggravated robbery, while the other two are facing robbery charges. Under Colorado law, aggravated robbery involves the use or display of a deadly weapon and is treated as a class 3 felony, and menacing can be bumped up to a felony if a firearm is used, per the Colorado Revised Statutes.
What residents should know
Police say the suspected getaway vehicle remains on an evidentiary hold, and the seized firearms are being kept as part of the ongoing investigation. Anyone who saw the incident or has information is asked to call the Commerce City Police Department tip line at 303-289-3626.
Local officials have acknowledged that the Flock camera system is not without controversy, even as they argue it helps close cases more quickly. As documents from the City of Commerce City show, some communities have raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, while others have leaned into the technology as a crime-fighting tool.
Police have not released any additional details about the suspects, including their identities or ages, and have not said whether anyone was injured during the robbery. This story will be updated if the department shares more information or if court filings become available.
