Arvada Police say one man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries may have been a bystander who stepped in
Police said a gunbattle between rival motorcycle gangs outside the Jake’s Roadhouse bar and restaurant Saturday night in Arvada left one man dead and three in hospitals, one with life-threatening wounds.
“The one with life-threatening injuries may have been a bystander who stepped in to help. We’re looking at that as part of the investigation,” Arvada police Detective Dave Snelling said Sunday morning.
Arvada police responding to 911 calls went to the scene at Jake’s Roadhouse, 5980 N. Lamar St., which was open about 10:20 p.m. as the fight broke out, reportedly involving Mongols and Hells Angels.
Police found one man dead, motorcycles down and bullet shell casings scattered around a four-block area along Lamar Street between 58th and 62nd avenues in northwest metro Denver.
“There were just a lot of people. Witnesses heard multiple gunshots. Some described 10 to 15 shots. Then they heard motorcycles crashing. Most everybody took off,” Snelling said.
The Roadhouse was open Sunday morning. An employee noted “a senior” was hospitalized.
Police said whether the bar should have been open — Gov. Jared Polis has ordered bars shut as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus — is an issue that will be discussed but not a focus of the investigation because the battle happened outside the Roadhouse.
Police investigators were trying to determine types of guns that were fired. On. Nov. 7, Arvada police assisted federal agents in executing a search warrant at a property linked to a motorcycle gang.
“This is not a new rivalry, if it is the Mongols and the Hells Angels. But it is deeply concerning. It was in the middle of a neighborhood,” Snelling said. “We are very lucky no resident was shot and that nobody else was injured.”
