More details emerged Wednesday about an armed carjacking reported earlier this week at Fort Lewis College, but according to law enforcement, the suspect remains at large.
“Fort Lewis and Durango police still have a number of leads they’re following up on,” said Fort Lewis College spokesman Mitch Davis.
A man, who is not an FLC student, was waiting in his pickup truck about 8 p.m. Monday in the parking lot near Jones Hall to meet a family member on campus.
While waiting, the man was approached by another man in his mid-30s with multiple tattoos, who brandished a gun and told the alleged victim to move over into the passenger seat.
The man with the gun climbed into the victim’s vehicle and the two drove off campus heading north, with the gunman behind the wheel.
In the area of Trimble Crossing, about 10 miles north of Fort Lewis College, the vehicle became stuck. Davis said the two men got out of the car, and the victim was eventually able to escape and flag down a motorist, then call 911.
Davis said the victim was unharmed. He told authorities he did not know the alleged suspect.
The victim told authorities that at some point the suspect fired the gun, though more details were unavailable, Davis said.
Police searched the vehicle and found evidence, but Davis said no person of interest had been announced as of Wednesday morning.
The incident involved three agencies: Fort Lewis and Durango police, as well as the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
Faculty and students were notified of the incident Tuesday via email.
Davis said the campus was not put on lockdown because by the time the college received the report, it had already moved off campus.
“If we had any indication there was a threat to campus, we would have acted right away and locked down campus,” he said. “At that point, we had no indication there was a threat to campus.”
Anyone with information is asked call 749-6581 or visit Aspen Hall, 321 Fort Lewis Drive, at the college.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
