Greenwood Village bank robbery suspect identified as serial robber

Greenwood Village police identified the alleged bank robber who barricaded himself inside the Extended Stay America Hotel as Jonathan Martin Bell, 29, who has been convicted of robbery previously.

Greenwood Village Police Department responded to a call about a bank robbery at 10:38 a.m. Thursday morning at the KeyBank, 9250 E. Arapahoe Rd., according to police.

Upon arrival, police made contact with the suspect, Bell, who fled toward Target, located adjacent to the bank.

An officer chased Bell, who shot at him. The officer returned fire. Bell shot at the officer a second time and the officer returned a second round of fire, according to a news release.

Multiple police agencies and SWAT teams surrounded the Extended Stay America and Sleep Inn at 9253 E. Costilla Ave. in Greenwood Village and authorities issued a reverse 911 call to alert area businesses and residents. Guests from two hotels were evacuated as the standoff began. 

Managers did not respond to a call from the Denver Gazette Friday.

The area is southeast of I-25 and Arapahoe Road.

Bell holed up in a hotel room, in which he had been staying, and police made contact with him at 3:52 p.m. Bell surrendered at 5:51 p.m. and was booked into the Arapahoe County Jail.

Police said there were no injuries to the suspect, officers or bystanders. 

Officers recovered the gun used in the robbery and an undisclosed amount of money. 

Bell appeared before a judge Friday morning and was advised of the charges he faces.

He is being held on a $1 million bond and faces charges of kidnapping, criminal attempt first degree murder, first-degree assault on a peace officer, aggravated robbery, theft of $20,000 or more but less than $100,000 and menacing with a deadly weapon.

Bell is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 7 for the filing of charges.

Court records show Bell was arrested in February 2015 and charged with aggravated robbery with a real or simulated weapon, kidnapping, felony menacing, theft and criminal impersonation. 

Bell was convicted by a jury and sentenced in July 2016 to 16 years in the Department of Corrections. He is on parole and questions about his parole can be addressed with the Department of Corrections, an 18th Judicial District spokesperson said.

The 18th Judicial District's Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the officer-involved shooting. Greenwood Village declined to identify the officer, who as been placed on administrative leave as per protocol for officer-involved shootings.