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Defendant is no-show for trial on suspicion of driving into Denver Police officers

A warrant was issued for Anthony Knapp, who is accused of intentionally driving his vehicle into three officers during the 2020 protests.

DENVER — An arrest warrant has been issued for a 39-year-old man accused of intentionally driving his car into three Denver Police Department officers after he failed to appear for his trial.

Anthony Knapp was arrested in connection to the May 2020 incident. Three officers suffered serious bodily injuries around 11:08 p.m. in the 1500 block of Logan Street, according to a probable cause statement. The officers were deployed as part of coordinated crowd and riot control measures taking place in the downtown area.

One civilian was also struck in the incident, DPD said.

>The video above is from May 2020.

According to court documents, the charges against Knapp include:

  • Three counts of attempted first-degree murder with extreme indifference
  • Three counts of first-degree assault with extreme indifference
  • Six counts of attempted first-degree assault with extreme indifference
  • Three counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon
  • Nine counts of first-degree assault, threatening peace officer with a weapon
  • One count of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury
  • One count of tampering with physical evidence.

Knapp pleaded not guilty to all charges. His bond was set at $750,000, and he was released on Dec. 8, 2020 after paying $75,000, according to the Denver Sheriff Department.

Credit: Denver Police Dept.
Anthony Knapp

The incident took place during the third night of protests in relation to the in-custody death of George Floyd taking place in Denver. The protests, which were peaceful during the day, turned into rioting at night and included fires, vandalism, graffiti and looting. Police on numerous occasions deployed tear gas and pepper spray to gain control of the crowd.

The officers were standing next to a Denver Police Rapid Deployment Vehicle (RDV) — sometimes referred to as a SWAT van — when a black, 2017 Chevrolet Cruze traveling at a high rate of speed swerved toward the officers, according to the PC statement. 

The PC statement says the officers were struck and taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance — where it was later determined one had sustained a fractured leg and the other two sustained "substantial risk of protracted loss or impairment of any part or organ of the body." Nine other officers were in "grave danger of being struck," and two officers had to flee to avoid being struck, the PC statement says.

The driver continued northbound on Logan Street, the PC statement says, and a witness told officers that the vehicle was traveling at about 65-70 mph and that the driver turned into the officers "with intention."

PREVIOUS: 37-year-old man accused of driving car into 3 officers during May protests pleads not guilty

A subsequent investigation led detectives to an apartment building at 1025 Sherman St. in Denver, where they saw the Chevy Cruze with extensive front-end damage parked in a lot behind the building, the PC statement says.

The vehicle was registered to Knapp and an address inside the apartment building, according to the PC statement. Detectives learned from a female inside the apartment that, according to the PC statement, Knapp had borrowed her car to go to the store.

They located her vehicle and stopped it and contacted Knapp, where they ultimately asked him if he'd be willing to go to DPD headquarters voluntarily, which he agreed to, according to the PC statement.

Another witness who lives at the apartment building at 1025 Sherman St. said at about 9:20 p.m., she saw a male in the parking lot yelling about being maced and saw the man in a black Chevy Cruze subsequently leave the parking lot, the PC statement says.

An additional witness also saw a man coughing and sputtering in the parking lot and leave in a Chevy Cruze, the PC statement says.

Both witnesses also said the vehicle looked like it had front-end damage the following morning, the PC statement says.

A Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report shows Knapp's prior offenses include a few traffic violations.

PREVIOUS: 37-year-old man accused of purposely striking 3 officers during 3rd night of Denver protests

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