Police Catch Thieves Trying To Steal Copper

DENVER (CBS4) – Police caught thieves trying to steal copper from an old Denver building Thursday night.

Denver police say the thieves were trying to steal copper from a hallway at the former University of Colorado Medical Complex. They were using hand tools to cut the linings away from what they wanted and dumping the rest on the floor.

The thieves were looking for precious metals such as copper and other materials valuable for cash trade.

The abandoned buildings at the old CU Medical Center are an easy, low-risk target for criminals to attack since the hospital shut down.

"The transients that come through this area, they see it and they say, 'There's free money up there,' " said local citizen Daniel Warner.

Warner takes the bus through that part of town every night and says he's seen the burglaries happen frequently.

"The reason they're doing it is there is nobody is really watching these properties. They jump the fence and they go," said Warner.

Authorities returned to the area Friday night sweeping the buildings for suspicious behavior.

The suspects from Thursday night were charged with trespassing and possession of burglary tools.