Colorado
Former Colorado police officer charged in connection with chokehold, lying about traffic stop
Prosecutors charged a former Englewood police officer on Tuesday for his alleged actions during a traffic stop south of Denver last month, where he’s accused of shocking a man with a taser, putting him in a chokehold, and lying about the interaction.
Former Englewood Police Officer Ryan Scott Vasina was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, first-degree official misconduct, and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors, in connection with an Oct. 8 traffic stop near West Union Avenue and South Broadway.
Vasina radioed that the 20-year-old man he stopped for allegedly running a stop sign and who didn’t speak English, was physically resisting and fighting with him. A review of his body-worn camera footage by CBS News Colorado and investigators showed that to be false. Vasina still tased the man and pulled him out of his car.
“It is evident from the video footage of the interaction between Officer Vasina and the driver that a language barrier existed, and that Vasina responded with visible frustration and anger,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said in a statement on Tuesday. “The initial nexus of the stop was a car driving by Vasina that changed lanes in a way that appeared ‘suspicious’ to Vasina. The penalty for failing to stop at a stop sign or even refusing to provide identification does not warrant a use of force response that Vasina engaged in, particularly where there was no active resistance, threatening language, furtive movements or attempts to flee or evade.”
The man he stopped was not identified by officials, but he spoke Spanish throughout the interaction. Vasina speaks in some Spanish, asking the man for his license, and the man replies, “porque,” the Spanish word for “why?” He appeared compliant otherwise, turning off his car when Vasina told him to. Vasina repeatedly says “let me see your f*****g hands” multiple times and the man’s hands are raised, with just his phone in one hand.
After Vasina tases him, pulls him out of the car, and throws him on the ground, the bodycam footage goes black for a few seconds, indicating it was up against the man’s back and Vasina’s actions during those few seconds can’t be seen from that angle, but dashboard camera footage from Vasina’s patrol car shows the officer on top of the man.
The man then says in broken English, “I don’t know what you say,” and “translator please.”
Moments later, the man repeatedly says, “my neck,” and then “water for me, please.” Vasina replies, “not right now.”
As Vasina starts patting the man down, he says “no pistola, I am good boy.”
Vasina was fired by the department in October, his actions condemned by his former chief.
“The former officer’s conduct does not reflect the values of the Englewood Police Department,” Englewood Police Chief David Jackson said in a statement. “Our officers are expected to serve with professionalism, respect, and restraint. We are committed to transparency in addressing any incident that falls short of those expectations.” Information contained in this release is publicly available in the Arrest Warrant. All public records can be requested and obtained via the Courts. As a reminder, all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted of any of the three charges, Vasina would lose the ability to serve as a law enforcement officer in Colorado, per state law.
Colorado
Family of Colorado inmate files lawsuit against jail for her death
The family of a former inmate in Colorado is filing a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Jefferson County Jail.
The lawsuit claims jail staff caused the in-custody death of Ashley Raisbeck in December 2023. It says the jail gave Raisbeck an antibiotic that she was allergic to and then failed to call 911 for an hour after she showed signs of a medical emergency.
Her mother, Jamie Raisbeck, and other family members believe this is a larger issue.
“It’s disgusting, it’s not okay,” Jamie Raisbeck said. “Along the way, I’ve been trying to make as much noise as I can. I want to make a change in the laws on how inmates are being treated with their medical care.”
The lawsuit also claims her death was not properly investigated. A critical incident response team led by the Lakewood Police Department presented evidence in the case to the district attorney’s office in 2024. It found no criminal conduct by law enforcement that caused her death, and the DA did not file criminal charges in the case.
Colorado
Construction complete on Grey Hawk Park in north Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Construction is officially complete on a north Colorado Springs park.
The City of Colorado Springs said Grey Hawk Park, near Voyager Parkway and North Gate Boulevard, is now complete.
The playground is 6,500 square feet, and the city said the park includes accessible walking loops, a multi-use field, a picnic pavilion, half-court basketball space, furniture, shade trees and a natural area with soft-surface trails and a scenic overlook.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony begins on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
The city said Mayor Yemi Mobolade, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Britt Haley, City Councilmember David Leinweber, former City Council President Randy Helms, and Grey Hawk HOA leadership are expected to speak at the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, they said students from Discovery Canyon Campus Elementary School and neighborhood children will be given the opportunity to help with playtesting the brand new equipment.
The city said the park will provide outdoor opportunities for nearby communities.
Copyright 2025 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
Colorado State Patrol chases off-duty Denver police officer; officer arrested over a month later
Newly released documents detail how a Colorado State Patrol trooper briefly chased an off-duty Denver police officer near Golden in October, how investigators used cell phone location data to track the officer’s speed, and the charges he now faces.
Christopher Thomas, 29, was arrested on Friday and released later that day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond. An arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Colorado on Monday shows that the arrest was connected to a brief Oct. 23 chase involving a state trooper on Highway 58 just west of Golden.
Around 11:30 p.m. that night, a state trooper parked on the shoulder of the highway clocked a Dodge Ram pickup truck at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to an arrest warrant. The trooper chased the truck with his lights and sirens on and got a partial license plate number when they got to eastbound Interstate 70 near Kipling Street in Wheat Ridge. At that point, the trooper said he and the truck were going 90 mph.
The trooper said traffic was “moderate” and described the driver as “reckless.” When he got behind the truck, it “accelerated aggressively.”
“The Trooper initiated a short pursuit, but speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, and due to moderate traffic on Interstate 70, the Trooper discontinued the pursuit,” CSP said in a news release on Monday.
Dispatchers ran the partial license plate and vehicle model, which brought up Thomas, according to the arrest warrant. Troopers parked on his street, and when Thomas returned home, he saw the troopers and allegedly fled, losing the troopers.
Learning the identity of the driver, CSP and several Denver police officers contacted DPD’s internal affairs unit, who requested that Thomas come into DPD headquarters. He did, having arrived in the same truck he allegedly fled troopers in, according to the arrest warrant.
After being read his Miranda Rights, Thomas requested to speak to an attorney, but agreed to let investigators search his personal cellphone for location data, calls, and text messages. Investigators say they were unable to find any evidence through a manual search of his phone and returned it to Thomas while they waited for a call detail records, or “CDR” warrant.
CDR warrants allow law enforcement to get cellphone metadata from cell service providers, which shows things like location data, who someone calls or is called by, when, and how long they’re on the phone for.
The warrant was approved and signed by a Jefferson County judge on Nov. 7 and sent to Thomas’s cellphone carrier. On Nov. 21, the company returned the requested CDR data to DPD, whose investigators then pored through that information using a program called Nighthawk on Dec. 3.
The location data, coupled with the time Thomas was allegedly at those locations, led investigators to estimate the speed at which he was traveling and placed him at locations consistent with the pursuit, according to the arrest warrant.
Two days later, Thomas was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular eluding creating a substantial risk of bodily injury and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Thomas joined DPD in 2021 and was most recently assigned as a patrol officer to District 1, in the northwest part of the city, according to the department. He was suspended without pay because he’s facing a felony charge. If convicted of the felony, he’d lose the ability to be a law enforcement officer in Colorado.
“The Denver Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability,” the department said in a statement on Friday. “When a Denver Police officer is arrested, DPD works to proactively share information in a timely manner, when possible. As with all arrests, the suspect is innocent until proven guilty.”
DPD says it will conduct an administrative review of Thomas’s alleged actions after his criminal case concludes.
He has not yet formally been charged. He’s due back in court on Monday.
Reached by phone on Tuesday, Thomas’s attorney declined to comment on the case while it’s ongoing.
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