DENVER – Aurora resident Odifu Odifu, 27, will answer for a brazen carjacking that left a couple terrorized on a busy Aurora street. A federal jury found Odifu guilty Wednesday of carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, following a trial that laid bare the details of the January 2, 2021, attack.
The incident began when Odifu, driving a BMW, slammed into a GMC pickup truck on East Colfax Avenue. After both vehicles limped to a side street, Odifu allegedly brandished a pistol, pressing it to the head of the female driver of the pickup and demanding she exit the vehicle. Witnesses testified that Odifu threatened to shoot the woman in the head while simultaneously directing a co-defendant to remove the male passenger at gunpoint. Odifu then peeled off in the stolen truck.
Aurora Police Department officers quickly located the stolen GMC at a Wal-Mart parking lot, where Odifu and his accomplices were found inside. But the confrontation didn’t end there. Odifu led officers on a high-speed chase through a populated area before they were able to disable the truck on Hampden Avenue. Instead of surrendering, Odifu bailed out on foot. He was quickly apprehended, and a loaded pistol was recovered near his arrest location.
“We are committed to doing all we can to address violence in our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We commend the work of our law enforcement partners that ensured this defendant was brought to justice, and hope that this conviction brings a measure of peace to the victims of this terrifying crime.” The case was spearheaded by the ATF’s Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAVEN), a multi-agency task force focused on dismantling violent crime rings.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers emphasized the collaborative effort, stating, “Through this partnership, and with the great work of the Aurora Police Department, a dangerous and violent criminal who used gun violence to victimize our communities will be held accountable for his actions due to the successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated law enforcement and community engagement.
Odifu Odifu now faces sentencing on July 21, 2023. Assistant United States Attorneys Rajiv Mohan and Kurt Bohn led the prosecution. The case number is 21-cr-00047. The full weight of the federal justice system is about to come down on Odifu for this calculated act of violence, a clear warning to anyone considering similar criminal behavior in the Denver metro area.
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