Thornton residents shelter in place as shootout with suspect leaves Colorado police officer wounded

Residents of a Thornton neighborhood spent Sunday night sheltering inside their homes as police searched for an armed suspect following a shootout that left a Colorado police officer wounded.

Fred Sandoval and his wife were turning off their powered Halloween decorations Sunday night when they learned something was happening outside their home.

"My wife comes back in, and she tells me there's something going on out there," Sandoval said.

Sandoval said officers asked them to return inside as police searched the neighborhood.

Nearby, Judy Braberman was preparing to go to bed when she began receiving alerts on her phone warning residents to stay inside.

"We were getting all kinds of alerts: stay inside, don't go outside, close the windows, turn the lights off. We had no idea what was going on," Braberman said. 

Braberman said she saw officers moving through the area as the search unfolded.

"I saw the police cars. I saw policemen running through our backyard," Braberman said.

Thornton police had responded to the neighborhood to search for what they initially described as an "unwanted person," later identified as Luis Arebalo.

Sandoval said he saw officers searching a nearby gulch with a police dog.

Police said Arebalo fired shots at officers when they contacted him. One officer was struck, and another officer returned fire, according to police.

Arebalo then allegedly ran from the scene, prompting an overnight search for a man authorities described as armed and dangerous.

For residents, the uncertainty made the situation especially frightening.

"It was very scary, not knowing what was going on," Braberman said.

Law enforcement officers continued searching for Arebalo throughout the night while the wounded officer received medical treatment.

Braberman said residents were sending their well wishes to the wounded officer. 

"And, you know, we all wished for him to get a speedy recovery," Braberman said.