WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — A woman in Westminster managed to escape an abusive man from a previous relationship and call 911 but not before her brother was stabbed by him, police say.
James Montoya broke into the victim’s home on Friday morning and attacked her and her brother when they returned home from running errands, police say. She managed to get away and call 911 but Montoya stabbed her brother before fleeing.
She suffered minor injuries while her brother was transported to the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
“Obviously Montoya is a dangerous individual he is capable of great harm and possibly even death,” Cheri Spottke, an investigator with the Westminster Police Department said.
Montoya is wanted for attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, stalking, kidnapping, menacing and violation of a protection order from a previous incident earlier this month.
“We need to protect her as much as we can so we can bring some peace to her and her family,” Spottke said.
Police responded to a stalking call on Feb. 4. Montoya is accused of holding the victim captive for an extended period of time and causing multiple injuries to her.
Montoya was previously convicted of manslaughter from a domestic violence incident over 30 years ago. His criminal history contains several other domestic violence-related incidents.
“We are aware that he does have some history but now we are worried about these two incidents in such a short amount of time,” Spottke said.
Montoya, pictured above, is described as a Hispanic male who is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He has brown eyes, a shaved head and was last known to have a full beard.
“She’s extremely scared and frightened he has caused a lot of injuries and she would like to see him where he belongs in jail,” Spottke said.
Police describe Montoya’s truck as a 2008 black Dodge Ram 1500, Colorado license plate QAO690. It has a Denver Broncos sticker and Union sticker on the rear bumper and a specialized grill. The license plate may have been removed.
Anyone with information can leave a tip with the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers tip line at: 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000.
Montoya is considered armed and dangerous. Contact Spottke at 303-658-4360 with any questions regarding this case.