COLORADO SPRINGS — A second use of force investigation by Colorado Springs Police has found their officers were justified when they used force on a man during an arrest in October. They released their findings of an internal affairs investigation on Friday afternoon.
The police department’s Chain of Command did a separate investigation that came to the same conclusion a few months after the traffic stop happened.
Police say officers pulled over Dalvin Gadson for not having license plates, and because they suspected he was driving under the influence.
Gadson's lawyers sued three officers involved, claiming they violently beat Gadson during that traffic stop.
The internal affairs investigation found the officers did not use excessive force, and that Gadson was resisting arrest and fighting police. At the time, officers were also concerned a knife in the car could be used against them.
The officers involved are Matthew Anderson, Colby Hickman, and Christopher Hummel.
The IA complaint also alleged officer Hummell used demeaning statements toward Gadson after the arrest. Officer Hummell was suspended for 10 hours and removed from his position as a police training officer. Officer Anderson has to go through 10 hours of use of force training. No action was taken against officer Hickman.
In a statement from Gadson’s attorneys, they say: “Let’s be clear. These officers beat Dalvin Gadson. They punched and kicked him multiple times in the head and body while he posed no threat to them. Chief Vasquez and his command staff want the people of Colorado to believe that wasn’t excessive force. They want us to ignore the truth that we’ve seen with our own eyes and take their word for it. That’s insulting.”
Click here to view the officer's body worn cameras, the case summary and administrative insights.
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