GRAND JUNCTION, CO — A 26-year-old parolee is facing numerous charges following a string of incidents involving a stolen vehicle, a firearm, and reckless driving across Mesa County.
The sequence of events began on March 5 at approximately 8:45 p.m., when the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center received a report of a suspicious incident near 33 1/2 Rd and C 1/2 Rd Roads in Palisade. Callers reported a vehicle stuck in a ditch and an unknown male pointing a firearm at a passerby.
Before Mesa County Sheriff’s deputies could locate the suspect, multiple citizens reported a vehicle driving recklessly at high speeds near 29 and 30 Roads and the I-70 Business Loop. Dispatch noted that the reckless vehicle matched the description of a car recently reported stolen from the area of the initial Palisade incident.
With coordination and assistance from the Colorado State Patrol and both marked and unmarked units from the Grand Junction Police Department, the suspect was safely taken into custody.
Deputies arrested Manuel Ambriz, 26, of Grand Junction, at approximately 9:30 p.m. without incident in the 500 block of Sunburst Court. Ambriz, identified as a parolee, was transported and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility on the following charges:
- Criminal Attempt 2nd Degree Motor Vehicle Theft (Felony 5)
- Assault 1st Degree Intent To Cause Serious Bodily Injury – Deadly Weapon (Felony 5)
- 2nd Degree Criminal Trespass of Motor Vehicle (Misdemeanor 2)
- Resisting Arrest and Obstructing a Peace Officer (Misdemeanor 2)
- 2nd Degree Criminal Trespass Enclosed/Fenced Property (2 counts, Petty Offense)
- Criminal Mischief – Under $300 (Petty Offense)
- Multiple traffic offenses, including Careless Driving, Reckless Driving, Eluding a Police Officer, and Failure to Notify Police of an Accident
This article is related to a previous incident: Vehicle Pursuit, Area of D Rd & Nottingham Dr