A man is in custody for allegedly stabbing another man during an argument that turned deadly early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a popular taco shop near downtown Denver.
Denver Police first received a call about the incident in the area of West 11th Avenue and North Broadway at around 12:50 a.m.
The victim was found unresponsive near Torchy’s Tacos with a single stab wound to the throat, according to a probable cause statement from Denver Police.
Witnesses told investigators that the victim, a 29-year-old man who hasn’t been identified, got into an argument with 36-year-old Christian Gulzow at a gas station near West 10th Avenue and Broadway.
They told police Gulzow was wearing white “clown” makeup with black streaks, and gloves with blades on the end of each finger.
According to the probable cause statement, witnesses told police Gulzow started to threaten the victim and took swings with his claw gloves – prompting the other man to fight back.
Witnesses told police the two men were seen going north up a nearby alley, and they made their way to the Torchy’s parking lot, where the victim collapsed. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Gulzow, meanwhile, is believed to have taken off on Broadway on a scooter.
According to the probable cause statement, High Activity Location Observation camera operators started searching footage of the area for the suspect, and soon found a man riding a scooter in the 900 block of Galapago Street.
The camera operators say they saw Gulzow throw an object – which later turned out to be a blood-covered knife – into the bushes, and called dispatch.
Police say they found Gulzow a short time later near West Alameda Avenue and Lipan Street. His clothes were covered in blood.
During an interview with investigators, police say Gulzow told them the victim threatened him to “get out of my alley” and that he was the one who took the scooter.
Gulzow said the two men fell “very hard” during the altercation, and that he may have jabbed the claw glove at the victim, or that he fell on one of his spike wrist bracelets.
He went on to say that he didn’t know he stabbed the victim.
Police say his account was contrary to what they heard from multiple witnesses.
Gulzow is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder. According to court records, one of his nicknames is Diablo.
He has an arrest record in Colorado dating back to 2000, when he was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Gulzow has multiple prior convictions, including prohibited use of a gun, violation of a training order and criminal mischief, according to court records.
