FORT MORGAN, Colo. March 16, 2022— A Fort Morgan man is accused of beating a security officer until she lost consciousness less than nine hours after he was released from custody on a personal recognizance bond related to an incident a day earlier involving a Fort Morgan Police officer, the police department said in a Facebook post.

James Wells, 27, now faces numerous charges including attempted second-degree murder and assault.

The first incident started just before 2 p.m. on March 8, when a Fort Morgan Police (FMPD) officer saw a silver Audi swerving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed in the area of Riverview Avenue and Lake Street.

The officer attempted to follow the Audi, and as the officer did, they saw the driver pumping his fist out the window, the Facebook post says.

The driver sped away and the officer could not locate the car after it turned near a Walgreens, the post says.

About nine minutes later, a caller reported that an Audi had just run a red light near Riverview and Main Street and said the driver was pumping his fists out of the window.

The vehicle was gone by the time officers arrived.

As officers searched for the vehicle, a report came in about the car “driving fast” before it stopped at a green light near West Street and West Platte Avenue heading toward Main Street.

An officer tried to pull it over, but the driver turned on to Kiowa Avenue and was motioning through the mirror that he was not going to stop, the post says.

The suspect stuck his arm out of the window and again began pumping his fist, according to the post.

The driver slowed as if he was stopping but then made a U-turn and accelerated toward the officer’s patrol car, head-on, according to the Facebook post.

As the officer put the patrol car in reverse to avoid a collision, the driver suddenly stopped and got out of his car.

The man, identified as Wells, was arrested and jailed on the following charges:

Criminal attempt vehicular assault

Reckless driving

Reckless endangerment

Driving under the influence

Driving with a suspended license

Officers found evidence he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to the post.

Wells was held without bond on those charges until a court hearing the next morning.

During that March 9 hearing, Wells was advised of the charges and then released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond, which meant he promised to come to the next hearing but didn’t have to pay any money before being released.

Later that night, according to FMPD, Wells attacked a security guard he encountered at a local business.

Wells went into the business, and after talking with the security officer, became angry and attacked her, FMPD said. He beat her numerous times until she was unconscious, police said.

He continued to strike her while she was unconscious on the floor, the post says. Another security officer who came to help was also attacked by Wells, FMPD said. She got away into another room where she tried to lock the door, according to police.

Wells sat on a counter for a few minutes, before he returned to the office area and continued to assault the first security guard, FMPD said.

He stopped the assault, but when the victim began to move, he got up and stomped on her head, according to FMPD.

Wells eventually left the security officer area and walked outside, where he attacked a maintenance employee, FMPD said. He was on top of him, striking him, when another employee was able to get him off and stop the assault, according to police.

FMPD said more than six minutes elapsed from the time he first assaulted the security guard until he was stopped by an employee.

When officers arrived, they found Wells lying under a truck in the parking lot. He refused to comply with an order to come out, FMPD said, and was eventually arrested after he was pulled out from under the truck.

The first victim suffered serious injuries, police said.

Wells faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and other charges related to the second incident.

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