John Haubert video: Bodycam footage shows Aurora, Colorado, officer use gun to beat man in custody

AURORA, Colo. — A Colorado police officer has been arrested after video confirmed him utilizing his pistol to beat a person he was attempting to take into custody, choking him and threatening to kill him, whereas one other officer was accused of failing to cease her colleague as required by a brand new police accountability legislation handed throughout racial injustice protests final 12 months.

Physique digicam footage was launched Tuesday of the arrest within the Denver suburb of Aurora, whose Police Division has been stricken by allegations of misconduct lately, together with the 2019 loss of life of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put right into a neckhold.

Within the newest confrontation, which got here because the officers responded to a trespassing report Friday, the person repeatedly stated, “You are killing me, bro” as Aurora Officer John Haubert held him down and struck him, the video confirmed.

“In case you transfer, I’ll shoot you,” Haubert stated. The officer says repeatedly, “Cease combating,” as the person cries and gasps for air.

Video exhibits Haubert yelling at him to roll over on his abdomen and present his arms, which he does.

“I would like water,” the person cried because the video ends.

The Related Press will not be naming the person. He didn’t undergo severe damage however was taken to a hospital for welts and a lower on his head that required six stitches, police stated. Authorities did not say if he’ll face expenses for an impressive warrant on a probation violation. It’s not clear what race or ethnicity he identifies as, however he seems within the video to be an individual of coloration.

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson referred to as the arrest a “very despicable act” at a press convention Tuesday.

“We’re disgusted. We’re indignant,” stated Wilson, who took over the division final 12 months. “This isn’t police work. We do not practice this.”

Haubert is underneath investigation on suspicion of tried first-degree assault, second-degree assault and felony menacing, in accordance with arrest warrant affidavits.

His lawyer, Reid Elkus, stated he couldn’t remark as a result of it is early within the case however added, “We will likely be zealously defending Officer Haubert.”

Officer Francine Martinez is accused of not intervening to attempt to cease Haubert, the paperwork say. It wasn’t instantly identified if she had an lawyer to talk on her behalf.

Each officers have turned themselves in.

Aurora’s troubled Police Division has been concerned in a number of extreme use-of-force allegations lately. Essentially the most egregious was the loss of life of McClain, who was confronted on the road by police responding to a name a couple of “suspicious” particular person.

In August 2020, Wilson turned the primary girl to completely lead the division in Colorado’s third-largest metropolis, a various neighborhood east of Denver. On the time, the company was trying to regain public belief following a tumultuous 12 months because the loss of life of McClain, whom officers put right into a neckhold. Paramedics additionally injected him with ketamine.

Within the newest case, Wilson stated she moved shortly to place the officers on go away and launch the physique digicam footage to make clear an incident she stated is an “anomaly” in a division attempting to do higher. She apologized to the person within the video.

“This isn’t the Aurora Police Division,” Wilson stated. “This was legal.”

Haubert and Martinez had been despatched to analyze a trespassing report once they encountered three individuals who had excellent felony warrants and tried to arrest them, in accordance with paperwork. Two ran method and haven’t been arrested, Wilson stated.

The video exhibits Haubert draw his pistol and level it on the third particular person, who didn’t resist.

“We do not consider he knew that he truly had an present warrant,” Wilson stated.

Courtroom paperwork filed for the warrant present he did not submit some urine exams, deserted therapy for court-ordered home violence counseling and didn’t report back to 4 scheduled probation conferences.

Haubert is accused of grabbing the again of the person’s neck, urgent a gun towards his head, then placing his head with the pistol at the very least seven occasions whereas ordering him to lie on his abdomen, the paperwork say.

The video exhibits the person bleeding from his head with a big golf-ball sized lump on his temple as he struggles on the bottom and cries for assist.

Within the video, Haubert advised a sergeant after the arrest: “I used to be going to shoot him however I did not know if I had a spherical in it or not,” the paperwork say. Haubert additionally stated blood on the person was from “pistol-whipping him.”

Final 12 months, Colorado lawmakers handed a invoice that, amongst different issues, requires all officers to make use of physique cameras by July 2023, bans chokeholds, limits probably deadly makes use of of power and removes certified immunity from police, probably exposing officers to lawsuits for his or her actions in use-of-force circumstances.

The legislation additionally requires officers to intervene when seeing colleagues use extreme power and report it to superiors.

Lawmakers strengthened the legislation this 12 months to encourage extra officers to make use of their physique cameras and promote “deescalation strategies” in police encounters.

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Related Press author Thomas Peipert contributed to this report. Nieberg is a corps member for the Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on under-covered points.