excessive force
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Federal judge weighs immunity for Westminster officer who shot, killed man in mental crisis
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A federal judge on Friday heard arguments over whether a Westminster police officer may be held liable for shooting and killing a 27-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis after lesser forms of restraint did not defuse the encounter. Although Birendra Thakuri’s mother filed suit against Officer Steven Bare and the city one year after her…
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Federal judge allows excessive force claim to proceed against Westminster officers
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A federal judge on Tuesday permitted an excessive force claim to proceed against Westminster police officers who allegedly knocked a man unconscious and continued to beat him after he posed no threat. However, U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews based his ruling on the allegations in Jonathan David Smith’s complaint, which did not include…
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Federal judge, again, declines to dismiss lawsuit against Pueblo deputies in man’s killing
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For the second time, a federal judge last week refused to dismiss the excessive force claims against a Pueblo County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a man outside a middle school after the man accidently tried to get into a car he mistook for his own. Kristy Ward Stamp, mother of the late Richard Ward,…
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Federal judge tosses excessive force case against Adams County deputies
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Even though a man re-injured his shoulder after Adams County deputies placed him in handcuffs, a federal judge last month decided no constitutional violation took place during the “lawful, normal arrest.” During a late-night domestic dispute with his wife in June 2021, Gabriel Armijo destroyed his home garden and drove into a fence. Other people…
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Judge sanctions woman suing Colorado Springs police, finds she withheld evidence
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A federal judge last week authorized financial sanctions against a woman and her lawyers who are suing Colorado Springs police for a constitutional violation, finding she disobeyed court orders and failed to hand over evidence to the defense. Sasha Cronick is pursuing claims of unreasonable search and seizure and false arrest against the officers who…
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10th Circuit gives immunity to Colorado Springs officers for tasing man 8 times prior to death
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The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed on Monday that two Colorado Springs police officers cannot be held liable for using a Taser on a man up to eight times in 90 seconds, leading to his death. Officers Daniel Patterson and Joshua Archer were investigating a possible disturbance at an apartment building when Jeffrey…
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Federal judge grants immunity to Lakewood sergeant for deadly shooting
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A federal judge concluded last month that a Lakewood police sergeant did not violate a man’s constitutional rights by shooting and killing him while trying to evacuate him from a burning basement. Jason Waterhouse was behaving erratically when he barricaded himself in the basement of his sister’s home, then started a fire while officers attempted…
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Federal judge sends unlawful arrest, excessive force claims against Denver officers to jury
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A jury will decide whether two Denver police officers are liable for unlawful arrest, excessive force and malicious prosecution after a federal judge last month found it possible the defendants arrested a man for an assault that never happened. Aaron Hernandez was sitting in a vehicle with his son in a church parking lot when…
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Federal judge declines to dismiss suit against Timnath officers who used force on disabled child
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Two Timnath police officers may be sued for allegedly violating the rights of a disabled 11-year-old by forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him as school staff were in the middle of de-escalation, a federal judge ruled last month. Officers Andrew Tope and Gabriela Ponce were stationed at Bethke Elementary School as school resource…
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Ex-Denver police chief may be sued for excessive force in 2020 protests, federal judge rules
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A federal judge earlier this month allowed a single excessive force claim to proceed against Denver’s former police chief for his alleged role in directing the city’s response to racial justice protests in the summer of 2020. At the same time that U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez declined to dismiss the claim against…