Colorado Springs reaches $2.1 million settlement with Dalvin Gadson, man who was beaten by police

City leaders in Colorado Springs on Tuesday approved a $2.1 million settlement with a Black man who was kicked and punched in the face by officers from the Colorado Springs Police Department. The three officers who were involved weren't charged in the case.

Dalvin Gadson was driving a vehicle in October 2022 when he was stopped by officers for allegedly driving slowly and not having license plates on his car. The body cam video from officers of the incident showed Gadson, 29, asking to stay seated in his car after police instructed him to get out. After that, police could be seen reaching in the car and grabbing Gadson and striking Gadson and then Gadson fighting back. One officer seen punching Gadson on the video was apparently trying to prevent Gadson from accessing a knife that was in the car.

Gadson was arrested in the case and eventually fined after pleading guilty to unlawful display of a license plate. The El Paso County district attorney's office dropped the following charges against him:

- Assaulting a police officer
- Obstructing a police officer
- Resisting arrest
- DUI

All three of the police officers who made the arrest are White. The decision not to charge them with any crime came after an internal affairs investigation.

Attorneys representing Gadson released a statement Tuesday afternoon after the Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-1 in favor of the settlement saying "this kind of violence is unacceptable whether it happens in Camden County Georgia or Colorado Springs." They said it "should stand as a warning to all those who think their badges entitle them to brutalize the men and women they've sworn to protect and serve."

"You are not above the law and if your own department refuses to hold you accountable, we will," they wrote.