Douglas County – Two people have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms for their roles in a violent carjacking in June of 2022.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, 29-year-old Brian Armando Diaz Montellano was sentenced to 14 years in prison. 27-year-old Alexis Michele Ruder-Iturrino was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Both pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
On June 19, 2022, Douglas County deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and C470 in Highlands Ranch on a report of a female passenger being forced into a Dodge pickup truck. Deputies spotted the vehicle, traveling more than 100 miles per hour. Deputies activated their lights and sirens and tried to catch up to the vehicle. The driver refused to pull over, and continued at a high rate of speed, eluding deputies and driving on the wrong side of the road. A short time later, deputies located the truck, abandoned. While checking the area, deputies discovered a female who said the driver and passenger of the Dodge truck took her vehicle from her. She said the truck was coming straight at her, and she slammed on her brakes. The female passenger got out of the truck and fired a round into the air. The driver and the passenger of the truck then physically pulled the victim from her car. The female suspect fired another round into the ground, near the victim’s feet. The two suspects took off in her car. The investigation, led by the FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, identified Montellano and Ruder-Iturrino as the two who were involved. They were later arrested.
“We appreciate our partners with the FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for taking these violent people off the streets,” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “This case serves as a reminder that violent crimes such as carjacking and the use of firearms will not be tolerated, and those who engage in such behavior will face real time behind bars.”
