COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Springs Police Department is conducting an internal investigation following the arrest of a man back in October.
The incident took place on October 9th, 2022 when 29-year-old Dalvin Gadson of Georgia was pulled over by Colorado Springs Police Department Officer C. Hickman for having no license plates and suspected to be driving under the influence.
According to the probable cause affidavit released by CSPD, when Officer Hickman pulled in behind Gadson the vehicle was going 15 mph in a 45 mph zone. Gadson pulled the vehicle over in a parking lot at the intersection of Majorie Lee Drive and Airport Rd.
Officer Hickman reported that in his first interaction with Gadson he noticed a knife in the center cup holder and observed Gadson to be "thick-tongued and slurred in his speech".
According to the affidavit, with a weapon on the scene, Officer Hickman called for backup, and Officer Hummel and Officer Anderson arrived at the scene. Officer Hickman detailed the current situation to the other two officers and that he would be detaining Gadson under suspicion of driving under the influence.
According to the affidavit, it was at this point all three officers approached the car to initiate contact with Gadson. Officer Anderson approached the passenger-side vehicle and spoke to the passenger, Carlos Carranza. Officer Hummel spoke to Gadson.
Officer Hummel informed Gadson that he was going to be detained and needed to step out of the vehicle. After Gadson was asked to step out of his vehicle multiple times Officer Hummel said Gadson began to become more verbally aggressive and stated something along the lines of he "was not going to be detained".
According to the affidavit, as Officer Hummel and Officer Hickman attempted to pull Gadson out of the vehicle, Gadson went back into the car and started to kick Officer Hummel in his chest.
Officer Anderson saw the struggle and then moved to the driver's side to help the other officers. Officers stated that Gadson continued to try and break free of Officer Hummel's grasp and reach for the knife in the cup holder.
According to the affidavit, it was during this part of the struggle that Officer Anderson hit Gadson multiple times in the face, he said, to prevent him from reaching the knife. Anderson said he continued to tell Gadson to get out of the car because he was under arrest.
Eventually, Officers were able to place Gadson in custody. He was taken to a local hospital for his injuries. At the hospital Officer, M. Piros sat with Gadson and determined he would be placed under arrest for driving under the influence.
According to CPSD, Gadson was not evaluated for DUI due to his refusal to exit the vehicle and fight with the officers. Police say Gadson also refused a chemical test while at the hospital.
Gadson is facing charges of an unlawful display of a license plate, resisting arrest, and obstructing a peace officer, all misdemeanor charges.
You can read the full probable cause affidavit from CSPD here.
After an administrative review by the chain of command at CSPD, it was determined the officers' use of force was warranted. However, an online complaint with internal affairs was filed in this case and that investigation is still open.
Gadson's Attorneys are asking for an independent criminal investigation and for criminal charges to be filed against the officers involved in the traffic stop.
If you would like to watch the full video of each Officer's body cam footage you can do so here. Warning the videos contains graphic language and violent images that may be upsetting for some, viewer discretion is advised.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
