Denver Police Award Witness In Capture Of 'Chameleon Bandit'

DENVER, CO — The Denver Police Department held a ceremony Monday to recognize a man who helped investigators solve a serial robbery case. David Fyke was given a $1,000 check and presented with the Bill Daniels Neighborhood Hero Award for his actions. The award is given to community members who go "above and beyond" to help others.

“David Fyke was going about his day-to-day life, witnessed a robbery, safely obtained vital information and reported it to police, resulting in an arrest and helping to end a one-man crime spree,” Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, said in a statement. “His attentiveness and willingness to take action made a positive impact on safety in our community.”

Between April of 2018 and March of 2019, a man robbed a dozen businesses at gunpoint in the Montebello area, police said. The suspect robbed several restaurants, convenience stores and a bank, and was dubbed the “Chameleon Bandit” because he changed his appearance in each of the 12 robberies, according to the Denver Police Department.

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On March 14, Fyke saw the “Chameleon Bandit” rob a convenience store and run away wearing a hoodie and a mask, police said. Fyke safely followed the suspect, and saw him approach a silver car parked next to a nearby bank. Fyke thought the suspect was going to carjack the driver of the silver car, so he took down the plate number of the car and called Denver police to report the situation.

Detectives investigating the robbery determined the silver car was a get-away vehicle and the license plate number provided by Fyke ultimately helped detectives identify and arrest the Chameleon Bandit, police said.

“‘See something, say something’ is a simple thing everyone can do to help keep our community safe, and David Fyke’s actions are a perfect example,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. “I commend Mr. Fyke and thank him for taking action and helping to end this pattern of robberies.”

The identity of the alleged Chameleon Bandit has not been released.

The Denver Police Department encourages residents to get involved in Neighborhood Watch programs and to report suspicious or illegal activity.