COLORADO SPRINGS — A man who was left paralyzed during an arrest spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday. As we've reported earlier this year, he filed a lawsuit against a Colorado Springs police officer.
Man sues Colorado Springs police officer after being tased and reportedly left paralyzed
Body camera video first shared by Jacob Root's attorney and later released by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) shows what led up to the incident.
Root's attorney says he was in a reported stolen vehicle at a Kum & Go near the intersection of South Circle Drive and Airport Road. The body camera video shows Root running from officers after walking out of the gas station.
The lawsuit says Officer Robert Comstock tased Root, who fell and broke his neck, leaving him paralyzed.
"That officer pretty much made a choice for me to be a prison in my own body," said Root. "I'd rather have gone to prison than be in this chair."
Root's attorney says the officer broke CSPD policy, which says officers cannot tase someone without warning or when they're in an elevated position.
In an email, CSPD pointed to information it had previously released, saying the department would not be making any additional comments regarding the lawsuit.
The department previously said an internal affairs investigation found Officer Comstock did not violate department policy, and he was exonerated of any wrongdoing.
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