A man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after taking a plea deal in connection with an armed robbery at the Circle K gas station at 605 S. Emery St. before being shot by police.

Nicholas Kovacs, 48, accepted the plea deal on April 25. He pleaded guilty to felony menacing; robbery; and second-degree assault. The remainder of his charges were dismissed as part of the deal.

On the menacing charge, Kovacs received a 4-year prison sentence, which will run consecutively with the 12-year prison sentence he received for the robbery charge and the 16-year prison sentence he received for the assault charge, according to Boulder County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Shannon Carbone.

“For the people at the Circle K and the law enforcement officers involved, this defendant placed them in fear of their lives,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in an email.

“So, the DA team worked closely with the victims and the brave officers who responded to the call for help. The defendant deserved significant consequences for his actions, and this lengthy prison sentence of 32 years is the right outcome.”

Kovacs’ co-defendants, Miranda Sewell and William Zule, accepted plea deals and were sentenced last year. Sewell received a 10-year prison sentence and Zule received a 12-year prison sentence.

According to an affidavit, Longmont police responded to an armed robbery at 9:51 p.m. March 18, 2024, at the Circle K, 605 S. Emery St.

Police said two people entered the Circle K, and one of them pointed a gun at an employee before placing a gun on the counter.After the employee handed one of the robbers money from the register, they helped the other access the cigarettes, according to the affidavit.

A customer entered the store, and the two robbers left through the back door and appeared to get into a gray Chevrolet truck, according to the affidavit.

As the suspects drove eastbound out of town, the driver ran a red light and reportedly hit speeds up to 100 mph, police said. Subsequently, officers used spikes to deflate the truck’s tires. Just after the driver passed Weld County Road 7.5, an officer struck the back passenger side of the truck with his vehicle, causing the truck to spin and stop in the shoulder on the north side of Colo. 119, according to the affidavit.

Longmont Police Officer Christopher Glenn shot Kovacs after he reportedly exited a vehicle carrying a handgun, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit did not state how many times Glenn fired his gun or how far away Glenn was from Kovacs.

Police found a handgun two feet away from Kovacs.

Following the incident, Kovacs was taken to the Medical Center in Loveland for treatment.

In March, Weld County District Michael Rourke said that Officer Christopher Glenn was justified in shooting Kovacs.