News Crews Catch Burglary Suspect While Filming a Segment About Him

A man accused of multiple burglaries is in custody after being caught on camera by news crews that were reporting on his alleged crimes.

On Friday, Sept. 26, several local Colorado outlets were reporting on an individual “suspected of committing multiple trespasses and burglaries in neighborhoods along CO Hwy 103 in Idaho Springs” when they spotted someone matching the man’s description, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release shared on Facebook.

The suspect, who has since been identified as Richard Applequist, “walked directly by news cameras” before going through a parking lot. According to the sheriff’s office, two news crews immediately called 911.

“Deputies and Idaho Springs Police quickly responded to the area and were able to locate and arrest Applequist,” the news release said.

An “extensive search” was initially launched for Applequist following a series of incidents that took place between Sept. 23 and Sept. 25. Before the man’s arrest, police had reason to believe that he was still in the area and armed.

In a video released by the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect could be seen carrying a gun. He allegedly caused over $4,000 in damages while trespassing at two properties, before later trespassing at another, per CBS News.

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The night before he was caught on news crews’ cameras, police had located Applequist using a drone. However, authorities said he crashed his vehicle and “rolled into [a] ditch” before fleeing on foot ahead of deputies’ arrival.

“After the ground search concluded, law enforcement continued to patrol the area throughout the night until this morning’s arrest,” the police release said.

CBS news anchor Justin Adams was among the news crew members who were shocked to spot Applequist while reporting on his alleged crime spree in Idaho Springs.

Recalling the situation to news anchors in the CBS Colorado studio, Adams said he asked authorities for the suspect’s description moments before catching him on camera.

“After the 6:55 hit, [photographer] El Dee was kind of pointing out, there’s somebody who looks exactly like I was saying,” Adams said.

“I was kind of more in a sense of disbelief that wait a minute, this is the guy who I’m literally just talking about and described on live TV. He’s right now crossing the street, so I said, ‘Hey, put your camera on him,’ ” he continued.

“We don’t know what it’s going to be, but if nothing else, we make sure that we have that footage, and it turned out that was the individual as well,” Adams added.

Police arrived around 10 minutes after the journalist reported the sighting. 

Jenny Fulton, a spokesperson for the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, described the situation as “amazing” in a statement to CBS News, highlighting how police “never” get suspects while the media is on the scene.

“This is how we got our suspect. We had media partners at CBS and other media partners report by calling 911 and saying, ‘Hey, I think we just found your suspect.’ And you were spot-on, and he’s in custody,” Fulton said.

Applequist is being held in the Clear Creek County jail pending charges including two counts of first-degree burglary, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, eluding, impersonating a peace officer, theft, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and third-degree burglary, according to the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.

“Applequist is now a person of interest in other burglaries that have occurred in the same general area in the past several weeks,” polcie said in their news release. “This is an ongoing investigation; if anyone has any information or has surveillance footage of this suspect or a suspicious person on their property, please email crime_tips@clearcreeksheriff.us or call our non-emergency number 303-980-7300.”

CBS news anchor Adams did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further information on Saturday, Sept. 27.