Gun used in robbery; jail guard attacked

[CO Liberal]

Oh, yeah, that's right....and armed society is a polite society - NOT!!!!! - Wayne

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Gun used in robbery; jail guard attacked
By Todd Wildermuth
Editor, The Raton Range

A 19-year-old Raton man faces several criminal charges after he allegedly used a pellet gun to rob Kmart and threaten people nearby, and then attacked a detention officer at the county jail after being arrested by officers at gunpoint Thursday afternoon.

Joe A. Martinez was arrested near Loaf-n-Jug on South Second Street shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday. It was at that time that police were called to Kmart - essentially across the street from Loaf-n-Jug - on a report that a man had flashed a gun and taken merchandise from the store.

Before police found Martinez near Loaf-n-Jug, he apparently left Kmart, pointed the pellet gun at people inside or near the adjacent Family Dollar Store, and then ran toward Loaf-n-Jug. A state police officer saw Martinez throw a gun under a vehicle as Martinez responded to the officer's commands to stop and get on the ground. Police recovered a Crossman pellet pistol that resembled an automatic firearm.

According to a police statement of probable cause for Martinez's arrest, witnesses told police Martinez attempted to leave Kmart with unpaid-for merchandise hidden in his shirt. When a store employee noticed the items under Martinez's shirt and stopped him, Martinez ran back into the store's clothing area and tried to drop four compact discs and a pair of shoes, according to the police statement filed in magistrate court in Springer.

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