Arrest Made in Incident on Broadway; No Injuries to Officers or Community Members

BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department is still investigating after an early morning arrest today of man for assault and felony menacing that began as a reported hostage situation.

At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, officers were notified that an adult male and adult female were being held against their will at a residence in the 3300 block of Broadway. Officers were told the suspect, who was known to the victims, was armed with weapons.

Boulder Police contacted the individuals at the home and immediately moved to rescue and remove the two victims from the rear of the house. During that effort, the suspect engaged officers in an altercation at the doorway at the front of the house, refused repeated commands from officers, and one officer discharged their firearm. No one was struck, and the victims were able to escape through a window. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the residence.

Officers received information that the suspect had explosives in the house. The Boulder regional SWAT team and the Boulder County Bomb Squad were activated and responded to the scene. At 12:37 a.m., after successful negotiations via telephone, the suspect surrendered to officers. The bomb squad methodically checked the residence and found no working explosive devices. Boulder Police detectives then executed a search warrant at the home and recovered multiple items of evidence, to include replica firearms and swords. Boulder Police Animal Protection also responded and took three dogs to the Boulder Humane Society. The dogs were uninjured.

The Boulder County Critical Incident Response Team has been activated to investigate the officer-involved shooting and because of this ongoing investigation, Boulder Police are unable to release more specifics at this time. The multi-agency team is designated to investigate use-of-force incidents in which any law enforcement officer uses deadly, or potentially deadly, physical force against a person. The findings of the Team and the decision of the District Attorney will be shared with the community. Per Boulder Police policy, the officer has been placed on paid, administrative leave.

The suspect has been identified as John Lee Fleming, 56, and he has been charged with three felony counts of second-degree assault, two felony counts of menacing, one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, and one misdemeanor count of obstructing a peace officer. Additional charges are possible. He was booked into the jail and a mugshot can be obtained from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call Detective S. Byars at 303-441-1970 reference case 22-11797.

As in every criminal case, these charges are an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.