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Suspect in custody after multi-agency manhunt

Erin Douglas

March 31, 2017

Adam Fulford. Photo courtesy of Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

Update (8:43 p.m.):

Authorities took Adam Fulford into custody after receiving reports of motorists being held at gunpoint by a man that matched Fulford’s description.

A man driving with his children in the area of West County Road 38E and Centennial Drive around 8:30 a.m. saw a man matching Fulford’s description. The man pointed a handgun at the driver and his children, but the driver was able to get away unharmed. Two additional reports about a man pointing a handgun at motorists driving in the same area were received by LCSO.

According to LCSO a man driving a black 2008 Toyota Prius stopped in the roadway while being held at gunpoint by Fulford. The driver exited his vehicle and Fulford drove away in the Prius, headed eastbound on West County Road 38E. No victims were harmed.

Deputies located and pursued Fulford in the stolen vehicle as he drove southbound on South Taft Hill Road at speeds reaching 100 mph. Fulford was able to avoid spike strips placed by authorities near 57th Street and North Wilson Avenue. Fulford drove the vehicle southbound in the northbound lanes occasionally during the pursuit.

Fulford crashed into another vehicle occupied by an adult female and two juveniles after running a red light at the intersection of North Wilson Avenue and West Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland. He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries and was listed in critical condition as of 1 p.m. today.

The victims of the crash were transported to an area hospital for treatment. Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said the victims did not have life-threatening injuries but did have some serious injuries.

Fulford is in custody for the outstanding felony arrest warrants. Authorities are still investigating the multiple felony offenses committed by Fulford last night and this morning. Charges will be determined by the district attorney’s office as the investigation progresses.

Anyone with information regarding the incidents near Horsetooth Reservoir is asked to contact LCSO Investigator Drew Weber at 970-498-5172.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact FCPS Officer Drew Jurkofsky at 970-221-6842.

Original:

Authorities have the suspect in custody who led police on a manhunt near Horsetooth Reservoir late into Thursday night.

Adam Fulford was arrested early Friday morning in Horsetooth Mountain Park. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed around 9 a.m. that Fulford was the suspect responsible for evading police by hijacking a taxi cab and then leading authorities on a multi-agency manhunt across Fort Collins, into Loveland and to Horsetooth Reservoir.

According to the Larimer County Sherriff’s Office Fulford was known to have outstanding felony arrest warrants for:

Failure to appear in court
A controlled substance
Special offender
Firearms and false information to a pawn broker.

Police initially attempted to contact and arrest Fulford around 7 p.m. in the Scotch Pines Condominium complex where he was living. Fulford was armed and fled. Investigators used police dogs to attempt to locate the suspect in the area, but were unsuccessful.

Upon searching Fulford’s residency investigators found firearms and suspicious devices inside, causing them to evacuate the building unit and call the bomb squad.

The bomb squad determined that the condominium complex was safe around 12:30 a.m. after a nearly three-hour investigation. During the investigation the team deployed a robot.

Then Fort Collins Police Services saw a taxi leaving the area and followed it westbound towards College Avenue. Fulford and a civilian taxi driver were inside the vehicle. The taxi turned southbound and ran a red light and officers continued to pursue the vehicle into Loveland, westbound on Highway 34, northbound on North County Road 27 and then eastbound on West County Road 38E.

At approximately 8:34 p.m. the taxi reached Horsetooth Mountain Park and the driver jumped from the cab as it was still moving. Fulford took over the taxi. Officers continued the chase while others stopped to provide aid to the taxi driver who had been shot one time in an extremity.

Authorities then deployed spike strips in front of the taxi at about 8:30 p.m. on W County Road 38E, west of Centennial Drive. Fulford subsequently crashed the taxi and fled on foot.

LCSO, FCPS and Larimer County Parks established a perimeter and performed a search, but Fulford evaded arrest into the early morning. Authorities suspended the search at approximately 2:24 a.m. when investigative leads in the area had been exhausted.

During the manhunt an emergency alert was sent out to 1,100 contacts in the area to inform them that law enforcement officials were looking for an armed suspect in the area.

The following roads were blocked around Horsetooth Reservoir during the search:

West County Road 38E at Centennial Drive
West County Road 38E at Lakeview Drive
Centennial Drive one-mile north of West County Road 38E.

Aat 9:24 a.m. the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Fulford was in custody.

Adam Keith Fulford is in custody. More info to follow later today.

— Larimer Sheriff (@LarimerSheriff) March 31, 2017

The taxi driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. More details about the arrest are expected to be released later today.

Collegian news editor Erin Douglas can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @erinmdouglas23.

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