A former Aurora police officer has been named in a civil lawsuit filed in federal courtroom for an alleged assault on a 49-year-old disabled lady who was strolling her small canine in an condominium advanced. The lawsuit claims extreme drive and that the lady’s civil rights had been violated.
Douglas Harroun was arrested and charged with felony assault in connection to the Jan. 11 incident. He resigned from the Aurora Police Division on Jan. 30. An inside affairs investigation is ongoing.
Wyoma Martinez, 49, who suffers from advanced regional ache syndrome, was strolling her canine when Harroun, who was off obligation on the time, pulled up in a car and commenced “revving his engine and got here dangerously near hitting” Martinez, in line with the lawsuit.
Harroun was “apparently pissed off” with Martinez, “who was not transferring shortly sufficient” due to her incapacity, which turned acute after a 2018 automobile accident, in line with the criticism. Martinez was making an attempt to navigate an icy and snow-covered pavement on the time.
Harroun obtained out of his car and “aggressively” berated Martinez, yelling in her face, the lawsuit stated. Martinez instructed Harroun that she was disabled, that she carried a can of mace for defense and that “he wanted to again up.”
As an alternative, in line with the criticism, Harroun punched Martinez within the face, grabbed her arm and slammed her to the bottom. Harroun “continued to punch her within the face and neck a number of instances whereas she cried out in ache and lay helpless on the bottom.”
Bystanders intervened, shouting at Harroun, and referred to as 911. Harroun pulled his badge and recognized himself as an Aurora police officer, the criticism stated, stating that Martinez was underneath arrest and she or he was “going to jail.” Different officers arrived on the scene and Harroun was arrested. That assault case is ongoing.
The lawsuit claims that Harroun was improperly skilled by Aurora police, that Harroun had been concerned in a police capturing a month previous to the incident with Martinez, and that officers had responded to a “name for service” at Harroun’s dwelling every week previous to the Martinez incident. The Metropolis of Aurora can be named within the lawsuit.
“Harroun exhibited behaviors — each whereas on-duty amongst different officers and supervisors and in his personal life — which obviated the truth that he was unfit for obligation and incapable to exercising affordable discretion with respect to using drive,” the lawsuit claims.
Aurora police declined remark Friday, citing the inner affairs investigation and the pending lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court docket in Denver.
The lawsuit claims that Harroun’s actions had been, partially, based mostly on perceiving Martinez as Hispanic, and the incident was racially motivated. Insufficient police coaching “contributed” to Harroun’s use of “inappropriate and extreme drive.”
Martinez was taken to a hospital after the incident, the place she was handled and launched. She suffered bodily and emotional accidents and her 4th Modification rights, to be freed from extreme drive, have been violated, in line with the lawsuit.
The declare seeks “compensatory” quantities to be decided at trial, noting that Martinez has endured a lack of earnings, and future earnings, as a direct results of the incident.
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