It wasn’t long ago that we brought you the sickening story of a cop who arrested a teen during a routine traffic stop, tasered him 4 times the regulation amount, and then dropped him face-first onto the concrete. The result of that horrible misuse of power left the victim with permanent brain damage and the aggressive cop with a prison sentence.
Now, a Colorado officer appears to have done a similar act against a mentally ill MMA fighter who officers knew had been going through mental difficulties.
The family of Donovan Duran had called police more than once recently, concerned about Duran’s mental state. Twice before, police had taken Duran to the hospital, but he left without receiving treatment.
We’re not sure why this time was so different than the times before, but available video footage (which has been edited) appears to show that Duran was non-combative and by all accounts, didn’t deserve the extreme treatment he received.
The video shows an officer reaching into the police van where a cuffed Duran sat. The officer pulled Duran from the van where he tumbled down to the concrete surface, clearly landing on his head and neck. He is then dragged to the hospital entrance, though clearly appears to be injured.
The officers only get more violent from there.
Duran was never charged with any crime and he remains in the hospital more than six months after this horrific crime which left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Watching and reporting on videos like this is the worst part of my job, but sharing these horrific stories is also one of the most important things we can do to to raise awareness of police brutality.
Watch.
