Review Ordered After Off-Duty Cop Tackles Woman
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Fort Collins police are investigating after video surfaced showing one of their officers, who was off-duty, wrestling a young woman to the ground.
The video shows only a portion of the incident.
The two are seen walking in a parking lot while the woman heads toward an apartment complex. Witnesses say the off-duty officer chased after her which is what prompted Dylan Clark to start filming.
"It looked like he grabbed her arm as hard as he could and he just yanked her and through her right on the ground and then he got on top of her," Clark said.
A man yelling outside of his apartment window is what first caught Clark's attention. The officer reportedly told the woman she was in trouble and threatened to have her towed.
"Then as she was pretty close to the apartment complex he started yelling 'I'm a cop, I'm a cop you're in big trouble,'" Clark said.
At one point the off-duty cop appears to flash his wallet at the young lady and eventually grabs something from his motorcycle.
"She was taking stuff out of her purse and then she stands up and kind of starts moving away from him… and that's when he puts her on the ground," Clark said.
In a video statement posted to Facebook, Fort Collins police spokesperson Kate Kimball says the woman was spotted speeding through traffic and the off-duty officers responded.
"The officer followed the vehicle until it parked, and then he attempted to make contact with the female drover who tried to leave the area on foot," Kimball said.
The incident is now under review.
According to FCPD's policy, an off-duty officer's decision to intervene should be made with careful consideration.
When it comes to reporting, the manual says that any officer, prior to taking any off-duty enforcement action, shall notify and receive approval.
Whether approval was given is unclear.
Clark says they called 911 because they were never certain the man was actually an officer.
"I hope they look at whether or not its considered justified to through her on the ground like that," Clark said.
When asked by CBS4 to clarify when the officer identified himself and how he did so, Kimball did not respond.
The woman in the video was cited for careless driving and obstructing a police officer before being released.
Karen Morfitt joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around the Denver metro area. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.
