Denver Police Nab Suspect in Downtown Armed Robbery Spree

Denver police arrested 28-year-old Marcus Rivera on Friday evening in connection with at least five armed robberies at convenience stores and smoke shops along Colfax Avenue and near the 16th Street Mall in central Denver. The spree unfolded between April 25 and May 1, 2026, with robbers displaying handguns and fleeing with cash and merchandise valued at over $12,000, according to the Denver Police Department Major Crimes Unit. Rivera, a local with prior arrests for theft in Aurora, was identified through surveillance footage and a tip from a Northfield neighborhood witness who recognized his vehicle—a silver Honda Civic—near East 49th Avenue. The investigation gained urgency after a robbery at a Gunnison Street business prompted a brief shelter-in-place alert on April 28, initially mistaken for a citywide emergency. Denver7 first reported the pattern on April 30, noting similarities in the suspect's description: a Hispanic male in his late 20s wearing dark clothing and a ski mask. Authorities recovered a loaded 9mm handgun and stolen goods from Rivera's Capitol Hill apartment during the raid, linking him directly to three incidents via fingerprints on demand notes. Business owners in the affected corridor, including the 7-Eleven at Colfax and Broadway, expressed relief Saturday morning. "We've been on edge, closing early every night," said store manager Elena Vasquez. Denver Crimes data shows a 15% uptick in downtown robberies year-to-date, compared to 2025, fueling calls from City Councilmember Jamie Torres for more Metro Denver Crime Lab resources. Police continue hunting two female accomplices matching descriptions from an unrelated September 2025 Northfield heist: a Hispanic woman in her early 30s with a left-arm tattoo and a white woman in her 30s-40s with a rose tattoo.