Rioters Face Kidnapping Charges After 7-Hour Police Precinct Siege
Five Colorado rioters were charged Thursday for allegedly barricading officers in their precinct for hours in July.
Nearly 600 demonstrators surrounded a police precinct in Aurora, Colorado, in what was described as an “occupation” by authorities, according to KDVR.
The mob, some of whom were armed, used vehicles and construction materials to keep 18 officers inside the building for seven hours.
“They prevented 18 officers inside from leaving the building by barricading entrances and securing doors with wires, ropes, boards, picnic tables and sandbags. Some members of the group carried handguns and rifles and wore military or tactical clothing,” the district attorney’s office said in a Thursday statement.
The rioters reportedly threatened to hold the cops in the precinct until two policemen from the department were fired.
The five alleged rioters, ranging in age from 25 to 44, face charges including first-degree attempted kidnapping, inciting a riot and false imprisonment.
Officers were rescued by a tactical team on July 4 at 3 a.m., according to KDVR.
“We support the First Amendment right of people to protest peacefully in our community but there is a difference between a peaceful protests and a riot,” the office said in a statement.
“When individuals cross the line and break the law, they will be prosecuted.”
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