MONUMENT – Something that can happen to any of us: an attack at a local grocery store parking lot, it happened to a couple in Monument and they avoided a worst case scenario.
Now Monument Police want everyone to learn from this scary ordeal and be aware of their surroundings.
Police say 51-year-old Steven Weaver tried to ambush the couple Saturday morning at a King Soopers parking lot on the 1000 block of W. Baptist Road in Monument.
According to Monument Police, while the man put the shopping cart away, Weaver approached the vehicle, but the woman saw him coming and she locked the doors.
Weaver still tried to force himself inside, demanding a ride but shortly thereafter the man returned.
Weaver and the man got into a physical altercation where Weaver allegedly tried to stab him several times, then after an ongoing struggle he fled on foot but was later caught and arrested by police.
Weaver will be charged with first degree kidnapping, attempted aggravated robbery, menacing, first degree criminal trespass, failure to register as a sex offender, and harassment.
No one was injured, and police credit that to the couple’s quick thinking.
Commander Steve Burk with Monument Police said, “Because the couple that were victimized in this case had just been paying attention, they were aware of their surroundings, they knew where they were, what was around them, who was around them, it made a huge difference in the end result of this situation.”
Shopper Lois Green is already doing her part to stay safe.
“It does get concerning but I try to be careful and I’m aware of the people around me,” she said.
“I try to be careful in the store, not leaving my purse in the cart and just being cautious.”
But because things can happen unexpectedly, she always keeps the “what-if’s” in mind.
“I’ve thought about what do you do, maybe put the alarm in the car, somebody approaches you and you’re not comfortable, something to call attention,” she described.
“When you hear what people themselves go through and what happened, you try and use that – if something that you would do also.”
It’s a strategy police say everyone should take into account.
“If I’m walking to my car, what am I going to do, what if some guy comes around the corner and tries to attack me?” Burk theorized.
“If you’re already aware that that could happen, you have a game-plan, you’re a head of what you’re going to do, you’d be surprised at how much better you’d react.”
Monument Police will be offering a free one-night class to the entire community so everyone can be trained on how to stay safe.
They don’t have a date set for the class yet but it’ll be happening within the next couple of months.
we’ll keep you posted on when a date is announced, but you can also check here for updates.
