Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Claims He Was Paralyzed By Police During Arrest
By Stan Bush
LA JUNTA, Colo. (CBS4) - The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the La Junta Police Department following an arrest that left a 24-year-old man paralyzed.
On Dec. 7 officers responded to the 400 block of Lewis Ave and apprehended Donovan Duran, a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Duran was drunk and family members called police saying he was a risk to himself.
Duran was taken to the Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center where he says officers began beating him in the parking lot while he was handcuffed.
"As soon as I stepped out they slammed me to the ground ... put their knee and forearm in the back of my neck and my back ... lift me up and walk me in the hospital," Duran said.
Duran says he was then strapped to a hospital gurney and placed in a guarded room. He says when he began feeling pain in his neck the officers ignored his cries for help.
"I finally started feeling weaker and weaker and my neck started hurting," said Duran. "I knew something was wrong and I told them I couldn't move. They didn't believe me. The doctor lifted me up and I fell to the floor and my legs went in different directions."
Duran was flown to University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora for treatment. He is paralyzed from the waist down and has lost function in his hands.
Duran's attorneys say there were three officers at the incident, but no police report was filed. La Junta police have placed two officers on administrative duties following the state investigation. Duran's attorneys say one of them is Sgt. Vince Fraker, who is listed as an investigative supervisor on the LJPD website. Police would not comment on what type of discipline the officer could face.
"When he's already got his hands behind his back and he's handcuffed, something is wrong in the police department where he's paralyzed from the waist down," said Mike McDivitt, one of Duran's attorneys.
Investigators are looking for surveillance video from the hospital that might show the alleged attack on Duran. They are also looking for video believed to have been recorded on body cameras the officers were wearing during the incident.
The state investigation was requested by Jim Bullock, District Attorney for Colorado's 16th Judicial District, which includes La Junta. A special prosecutor is also being brought in to review the case.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.