Bike Path Assault Suspect Found and Jailed

A week ago, we shared a news release about an assault on the city’s bike path and many of you asked us why the suspect was taken to the hospital rather than jail.

Today we have an update to share with our community.

For background, here’s what happened last week: At approximately 12:45 p.m. on July 21, a couple visiting from out of state was walking on the bike path near the 1700 block of 13th Street when a man walked up and attacked the woman unprovoked. The suspect grabbed the 75-year-old woman by her hair and threw her to the ground. Passersby pulled the suspect off the victim and detained him until officers arrived.

Due to the circumstances at the scene, American Medical Response advised that the suspect would need to be medically cleared at a hospital before being taken to jail. The suspect, James Moore, 24, who has no known ties to Boulder and no local address, was taken to a hospital. Since he was admitted to the hospital, he could not be taken to the jail. That’s where he was issued a felony summons for assault on an at-risk adult.

Meanwhile, detectives worked with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office to obtain a warrant for the suspect’s arrest with hopes of taking him into custody when he was medically cleared. Due to the suspect’s prior actions and out of concern for community safety, detectives obtained an arrest warrant and entered it into the nationwide database.

On Thursday morning, Boulder detectives learned the suspect had been released by the medical facility to a location in the City of Fort Collins.

Boulder Police reached out to Fort Collins Police Services to find the suspect. Though officers initially couldn’t locate him, they searched all day Thursday and eventually found him in another part of the city. The suspect tried to run from officers but was arrested.

The victim in this case is recovering well and she appreciates all the support she has received from the Boulder community. At this time, she does not wish to speak publicly about the crime.

The Boulder Police Department would like to thank Fort Collins Police Services and the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.

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