Exactly one year after a controversial incident involving three Colorado Springs police officers allegedly beating an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop, the U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a criminal investigation into the case of Dalvin Gadson.
Gadson was pulled over on October 9, 2022, due to the absence of visible license plates on his vehicle. The Colorado Springs Police Department claimed they asked him to step out for a DUI investigation. However, according to Gadson's legal representation, the 29-year-old declined, citing uncertainty about the cause for his detention.
This refusal reportedly led to officers forcefully removing him from the car and subjecting him to repeated head and face punches, even after he was outside the vehicle. Police asserted that Gadson had a knife in the car and had physically resisted officers during the encounter.
Civil rights attorneys filed a federal lawsuit in December, and recently, Michael Alston, the director of the DOJ's Office of Civil Rights, forwarded the case to the DOJ's Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section. This development signals hope for justice after the Colorado Springs Police Chief's refusal to hold the officers accountable for the incident.
The attorneys characterized the officers involved as "hostile, violent, and downright dangerous," expressing concerns about public safety while these officers remained on duty. An internal investigation by the CSPD did not result in criminal charges against the officers. Charges against Gadson for DUI, obstructing a peace officer, and resisting arrest were dropped.
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Link: KKTV
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