Colorado Man Identified As Deceased In Hostage Drama Last Week

Tahoe City, CA…The man who took a female hostage at gunpoint and was eventually shot and killed by Placer County Sheriff’s deputies early Friday morning has been identified as Jose Gonzales Lera, 27, from Lakewood, Colorado.
After Lera refused to pull over for erratic driving at around 3 a.m. Friday, his car was stopped by spike strips on Highway 89 in North Lake Tahoe, between Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadow ski resorts.

He exited his car with a gun held to his female passenger. He ignored negotiations, and as he dragged the victim up a driveway and toward a home, he was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing and there’s no further information to release at this point.