An early New Year’s Day shooting at Westminster’s IMT Hyland Hills apartment complex left two people injured.
Westminster police arrived on the scene after the shooting occurred when people called 911 at about 4:30 a.m., according to a department press release. Officers took suspect Ridge Johnathon Mased into custody after a chase through part of town.
Mased, 32, showed up to a New Year’s Eve party after learning about it from SnapChat. He didn’t receive an invitation. When people asked him to leave, a disturbance broke out that eventually resulted in Mased shooting a 19-year-old male and a 17-year-old female. Mased shot the female in the arms and shoulder and the male in the legs.
The female fled but would eventually show up at the emergency room. Meanwhile, Westminster police, Adams County Sheriff’s deputies and Westminster Fire Department paramedics assisted the male and other witnesses traumatized by the events.
After arriving on the scene, police identified Mased’s vehicle, a white sedan, and pursued until the sedan became stuck on a median in the road. From there, Mased fled on foot and broke through a window of an unrelated apartment occupied by a couple. Officers forced their way into the apartment. There, they struggled with Mased and ultimately arrested him. Neither side fired shots during the struggle and no officers suffered injuries.
Mased is currently at the Adams County Detention Facility in Brighton. Police have recommended four charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Investigators also learned that the gun Mased used was previously stolen from a vehicle in Westminster. It’s currently unknown if Mased stole that gun or if someone else did. A department press release said, “This is a stark reminder that gun owners must be responsible, and guns should never be left in cars unless secured in a safe or vault permanently installed and designed to secure firearms.”