WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — A man who was forced into the back of his ice cream truck at gunpoint said he was "scared for his life" but was eventually let go after the suspect learned that he had a son.
Daniel Richardson was identified as a suspect in the Aug. 6 incident at the King Soopers on West 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge. By the time he was identified, however, he was already in custody in Denver for unrelated reasons. Officers contacted him at the jail, but he refused to speak with detectives without an attorney.
Around 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 6, Wheat Ridge officers responded to the store at 5301 W. 28th Ave. for a robbery report. Once there, they spoke with the victim, who appeared "visibly upset," according to an arrest affidavit.
The victim said he worked for the Ice Cream Wagon and said he made about $250 that day and had stopped for a break. He reported that he was outside the truck smoking when a man walked past him. A short time later, that same man came back.
The second time he approached, the man ordered the victim to keep his eyes forward, according to the affidavit. He then pulled out a gun and told the victim to get into the truck, the affidavit says.
Once inside, the victim reported that the man pointed the gun at him and told him to empty his pockets. He reported that he only had his cellphone in his pocket and gave him it. The man also demanded his keys which he handed over.
The victim said at one point the man asked if he had a kid and he responded that he did. When he said that, the victim reported that the man told him to get out of the truck and that if he "ever wanted to see his son again," he would get out.
He exited the rear door of the truck and the man drove away, the affidavit says. The truck was later recovered the same night in Denver.
While at the scene, officers also spoke with a friend of the victim who had come to the store to meet the victim. That friend said as he approached the ice cream truck, he noticed another person in the truck with the victim. He said he wasn't sure what was going on so he sat on a curb to wait and then noticed his friend jump out of the back of the truck. He reported that his friend motioned for him to call the police, which he did.
The victim reported to police he had seen the suspect talking with another person in the parking lot. That person told police he knew the suspect as "Danny" and reported that they had previously lived together at a halfway house.
The man also reported that "Danny" made a comment that the driver of the ice cream truck needed a "beat" and then walked off. He said he did not see anything that happened but pulled up "Danny's" Facebook page for officers. It showed the username Danny Richardson. Officers took a photo of the profile picture.
Using police databases, investigators located a man by that name and compared the Facebook photo to a DMV photo and believed it was the same person. They also found that Richardson was a convicted felon who had pleaded guilty to robbery in Denver District Court in 2014.
Richardson faces the following charges for the Wheat Ridge incident:
- Aggravated robbery
- Second-degree kidnapping
- Aggravated motor vehicle theft
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
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