District Attorney Pete Weir announced that charges have been filed against two males involved in the shooting of an Uber driver in Lakewood in June. Quartez Smith, DOB: 03-16-00, and a 13-year-old juvenile have each been charged with numerous felonies.
On June 13, Lakewood police were called to a convenience store at 1110 S. Pierce on a report of shots fired. According to the arrest affidavit, they found 38-year-old Saher Suleiman outside the store. He he had sustained a gunshot wound. Mr. Suleiman had parked his car at the gas pumps, filled up, and gone inside to pay. When he returned he found two males, Smith and the juvenile, in the back seat of his car. Mr. Suleiman was instructed to drive around and pull over at a side street. The males robbed him of his phone and his wallet. Quartez is alleged to have fired three shots at Mr. Suleiman, striking him in the back.
Mr. Suleiman was able to drive back to the convenience store and the clerk called 911.
While Lakewood police were at the scene of this investigation they learned of an armed robbery and carjacking of a Lyft driver that had occurred in Denver one hour prior to this incident. According to court records, the vehicle in the Denver carjacking matched the description of the vehicle used by the suspects in this case. That carjacking was also charged in this Jefferson County case.
Quartez has been charged with 15 felony counts, including Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, and eight violent crime counts. The juvenile was charged in the Juvenile Court. A petition alleging delinquency has been filed accusing him of six counts plus four counts of violent or aggravated juvenile offender.
Preliminary hearing for Mr. Quartez has been scheduled for August 14 at 10:00. He is being held on $100,000 bond. There is no further public information regarding the juvenile in this case.
The filing of a criminal charge is merely a formal accusation that an individual has committed a crime(s). A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. See Colo. RPC 3.6.
