Current:Home > StocksHandcuffed Colorado man stunned by Taser settles lawsuit for $1.5 million, lawyers say -ProgressCapital
Handcuffed Colorado man stunned by Taser settles lawsuit for $1.5 million, lawyers say
View
Date:2025-04-17 00:23:58
DENVER (AP) — A man who was stunned with a Taser while handcuffed, including on his lip, has settled a federal lawsuit with a Colorado sheriff’s department for $1.5 million, his lawyers said Monday.
Kenneth Espinoza was arrested after he stopped to wait for his son when he was pulled over in Trinidad, Colorado, on Nov. 29, 2022. Espinoza, who had been following his son to a car appointment, was first told he had to move his truck. But after he started to leave, he was ordered to stay. Las Animas County Sheriff’s Deputy Mikhail Noel pulled his gun, then took out his Taser, according to an independent investigation.
Noel, then Lt. Henry Trujillo used their Tasers on Espinoza. The Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in September they were both fired after an investigation by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office found they had violated a number of agency policies, including inappropriately using a Taser against Espinoza and inaccurately reporting what happened.
Las Animas County Sheriff Derek Navarette did not immediately respond to a telephone call or email seeking comment Monday on the settlement.
Trujillo declined to comment. A telephone number could not be found for Noel.
The outside investigation found Espinoza did not attempt to strike Noel with his truck and “at no time does Mr. Espinoza actively use any force against Lt. Trujillo or Dep. Noel,” Las Animas County Undersheriff Reynaldo Santistevan wrote in an Aug. 10 letter to the sheriff. He recommended both deputies be fired after reviewing body camera footage and the investigative report.
Santistevan added that at “no time did either try to de-escalate this matter, but only made it worse.”
Santistevan acknowledged that he did not watch the body camera footage of the incident before reviewing and signing off on the officers’ accounts of what happened.
Espinoza’s lawsuit, filed in May, alleges that Noel used a Taser to stun him.
Body camera video then shows Espinoza being pulled from the truck, handcuffed and squeezed into the back of a patrol car.
As the deputies struggle to get Espinoza into the car, video shows, one warns that he is going to use the Taser on him, and uses an expletive.
One device can be seen contacting Espinoza’s body along with the wires that carry Taser electrodes, as crackling sounds are heard.
One of Espinoza’s attorneys, Kevin Mehr, said in a statement that the settlement is a victory for the people of Colorado and “sends a clear message to thugs like this who think a badge is a license for brutality.”
veryGood! (226)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Uber will list all New York City taxis on its app, giving customers more choices
- Researchers work to create a sense of touch in prosthetic limbs
- Afghanistan's women protest as U.N. hosts meeting in Doha on how to engage with the Taliban
- Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
- The Indicator: Destroying Personal Digital Data
- 9,000 digital art NFTs are being released to raise funds in George Floyd's memory
- Hairstylist Chris Appleton Confirms Romance With Lukas Gage
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- How Marie Antoinette Shows the Royal's Makeup Practices: From Lead Poisoning to a Pigeon Face Wash
Ranking
- Tropical rains flood homes in an inland Georgia neighborhood for the second time since 2016
- Clashes erupt in France on May Day as hundreds of thousands protest Macron's pension reforms
- Elon Musk says doubt about spam accounts could doom Twitter deal
- One Tree Hill’s Hilarie Burton Shares How Chad Michael Murray Defended Her After Alleged Assault
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Model Jeff Thomas Dead at 35
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Shirtless Calvin Klein Ad Will Make You Blush
- Nancy Meyers' $130 Million Netflix Movie Shut Down Over Budget Issues
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Archeologists find centuries-old mummy in Peru
The 10 Best Body Acne Treatments for Under $30, According to Reviewers
Perfect Match's Chloe Veitch Moves on From Shayne Jansen With Hockey Player Ivan Lodnia
Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
With federal rules unclear, some states carve their own path on cryptocurrencies
A delivery robot creates a poetic moment in the woods of England
Netflix will officially start charging for password sharing in 2023