An Aurora police officer has been placed on leave after a fellow officer reported that he had used his weapon to threaten a suspect who was handcuffed in the back of a police car.
Today, Aurora police detailed the incident, which took place on Saturday, August 6 around 4 a.m.
An officer was working security, off-duty, at an International House of Pancakes on E. Mississippi Avenue in Aurora, according to a statement released by Sgt. Rudy Herrera, spokesman for Aurora Police.
The officer requested assistance with a fight at the restaurant. Officers who responded were able to take some of those involved in the fight into custody. They’d been told that one of the suspects might be armed. No gun was found on him but one was found nearby.
The suspect was in the back of a police car, in handcuffs, when one of the assisting officers approached him, said something to him, and then allegedly pointed his weapon at the suspect, according to Herrera.
Another officer who witnessed the incident reported it to a supervisor and an investigation was opened.
The name of the officer under criminal investigation for menacing has not been released. He’s been with the department since 2000.
“Members of the Aurora Police Department take allegations of this kind very seriously,” said Herrera, in the statement.
The Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office will determine if charges against the officer will be filed.
