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Teens charged in robbery, shooting of Uber driver

Two teens have been charged in connection with the robbery and shooting of an Uber driver near a Lakewood gas station last month.
Credit: (Photo Illustration by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 01: In this photo illustration, the app 'Uber' is launched in a smart phone on July 1, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. Taxi drivers in main cities strike over unlicensed car-halling services.

LAKEWOOD — Two teens have been charged in connection with the robbery and shooting of an Uber driver at a Lakewood gas station last month, according to a release from the First Judicial District Attorney's Office.

Quartez Smith, 18, and a 13-year-old boy have each been charged with numerous felonies.

On June 13, Lakewood police were called to a convenience store at 1110 S. Pierce on a report of shots fired.

According to the arrest affidavit, they found Saher Suleiman, 38, outside the store suffering from gunshot wounds.

Suleiman filled his gas tank and went inside to pay. When he returned to his car Smith and the boy were in the back seat, the news release from the DA said.

The teens told him to drive around and pull over at a side street and then stole his phone and wallet, prosecutors said. Smith fired three shots at Suleiman, striking him in the back, the news release said.

Despite his injuries, Suleiman drove back to the convenience store and the clerk called 911.

During their investigation, Lakewood police learned about an armed robbery and carjacking of a Lyft driver that had occurred in Denver about an hour earlier.

According to court records, the vehicle in the Denver carjacking matched the description of the vehicle used by the suspects in Lakewood. That carjacking was also charged in this Jefferson County case.

Smith has been charged with 15 felony counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and eight violent crime counts. He's being held on $100,000 bond.

The juvenile was charged in juvenile court. A petition alleging delinquency has been filed accusing him of six counts plus four counts of violent or aggravated juvenile offender.

There is no mugshot for Smith yet because he has not yet been booked into the Jeffco jail. He is currently in custody in Denver on unrelated charges.

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