Be careful out there...



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DENVER - Sex crimes detectives are warning the public about two suspects impersonating police officers that sexually assaulted a woman early Sunday morning.

Aurora Police Det. Bob Friel says the woman was pulled over by what she believed were police officers during a traffic stop just before 2 a.m. She says the "white police-type sedan," which had an emergency bar with rotating lights on it, stopped her in the 10400 block of East Alameda Avenue.

Friel says the victim was ordered out of her car by the first suspect. At some point, he says the second suspect joined the first suspect, and the two sexually assaulted the woman on the sidewalk along Alameda Avenue. The victim told investigators the suspects got into their car after the assault and left the scene.

"They are a real threat to the public, and that's why we're putting all this information out there," Friel said. "We want people to be aware that they are out there, with the hope that somebody will see something and give us a call."

The victim contacted Denver Police because the incident happened on the Denver-Aurora border, and she was concerned the suspects may have been Aurora Police officers. DPD did a preliminary investigation and the Aurora Police sex crimes detectives have taken over the investigation due to recent developments.

"The critical next steps in this case are to get the DNA evidence we've analyzed as quickly as possible. Also, get the victim down to the police department here so that she can help us complete a composite sketch so we can get it out to the community," Friel said.

Friel says the victim described the first suspect as a Caucasian or Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old and is 6 feet 1 inch tall. He had black spiked hair and did not have facial hair at the time of the incident.

The second suspect was described to investigators as a Caucasian or Hispanic man between 40 and 50 years old with gray, combed back hair, a thick mustache and a potbelly. He is between 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

Friel says both suspects wore a dark blue police-style uniform with a gun-belt and a displayed badge.

Aurora investigators are also working with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office because of a similar incident that happened Monday afternoon near Wadsworth Boulevard and Bowles Avenue. Deputies say in the police impersonation case they are investigating, the woman was not assaulted.
Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesperson Jacki Kelley says a fake police car with the same description given in the Aurora case pulled a woman over around 3:30 p.m. A man in a police uniform matched the physical description of one of the Aurora suspects, most notably his mannerisms and "large belly," Kelley said.

The woman noticed the man was wearing a police shirt, with a sheriff's patch on his shoulder and did not appear to fit the typical image of an officer or deputy.

"It was a gut feeling that she had," Kelley said.

The man ordered her three times to get out of her vehicle, but the woman refused and began to dial for help on her cell phone.

"The suspect went back to his car and drove away," Kelley said. "And she knew then he was not a real police officer."

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Sex Crimes Detective Ron Hahn at 303-739-6066. Aurora Police are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the two individuals involved in this crime.
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