A Greeley man’s chaotic evening drive on May 3 ended with off-duty deputies, a Longmont officer, and local police piling on to hold him down along Highway 34, authorities say. The driver, 35-year-old Gabriel Villalva, now faces a stack of charges that includes felony counts tied to an alleged assault on officers during his arrest.
According to a Greeley Police Department release, the trouble started around 6:05 p.m. in the 13300 block of Highway 34. Investigators say Villalva rear-ended another vehicle at a high rate of speed, then ran a red light at Promontory Parkway, and later tried to climb into an occupied car in what officers describe as an attempted vehicle theft.
Police say a female passenger who had been with Villalva bolted from the scene and was picked up by a passing driver. At one point, according to the release, Villalva was seen driving with his leg hanging out the window before law enforcement finally confronted him. The bizarre sequence of events set the stage for a takedown that pulled in officers who were not even on duty.
Off-Duty Deputies Help Bring Driver Down
The Greeley Police Department credited three off-duty Weld County Sheriff’s Office detention deputies and an off-duty Longmont police officer with physically pinning Villalva until on-duty Greeley officers could get to the scene, according to a post shared by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. That post also publicly thanked the Colorado State Patrol and the Johnstown Police Department for stepping in during the response.
Trip to the Hospital, Then to Jail
Greeley police say Villalva was restrained with a transport safety system and taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being booked into the Weld County Jail. He now faces two counts of second-degree assault on a peace officer, along with charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, following too closely, and several unsafe-passing violations, according to the department’s release.
Despite the wild series of collisions and confrontations, officials reported that victims and officers did not suffer serious injuries.
Felony Assault on Officers Under Colorado Law
Under Colorado law, second-degree assault on a peace officer is charged as a felony, and the statute spells out the specific elements of the offense. The statute text for Colorado Revised Statutes §18-3-203 can be found via Colorado Public Law.
Greeley police say the investigation is still underway, and Villalva remains presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
