Citizens’ interactions with police across Colorado are not routinely cordial and positive, of course.
In fact, things can sometimes be a little tense. Initially civil discussion can ratchet up in intensity or, as we stress at the proven Denver metro criminal defense law firm of Shazam Kianpour & Associates, “escalate into something else.”
That reality can breed fateful consequences, with criminal charges being filed that “are often the result of an emotional encounter.” Details surrounding a recently settled lawsuit underscore that.
Aurora police in that case interacted with an individual back in late 2016 while responding to a noise complaint. Conflicting claims of what transpired from that encounter ultimately ended up being scrutinized at trial. Jury members considered both police claims that the defendant was violent and unruly and the counter claim that law enforcers used excessive force during what was decidedly a heated confrontation.
The specific charges filed in the matter included resisting arrest and failure to obey a lawful order.
Jurors did not see it that way. In fact, they acquitted the defendant on both those counts after viewing police camera footage of the incident. The suspect was heard on that tape objecting to excessive police force at least eight times during the encounter. He reportedly suffered a number of injuries to his face, head, eye and back.
A damage claim linked to that incident was recently resolved, with the city of Aurora agreeing to a $285,000 settlement.
A spokesperson for the claimant says that, while the resolution of the matter is welcome, “is does not begin to serve justice.”