Medical records show that Thomas Charles Armstrong was suffering kidney failure, a fractured nose and bruises and cuts to his face and knees after his arrest last Friday, an incident in which police say they were forced to fight to subdue him and family members say Armstrong was targeted because of his brother’s anti-brutality activism.
Meanwhile, the NAACP’s national office on Thursday asked the Colorado regional director to investigate the much-publicized incident.
Armstrong’s medical records, obtained by The Denver Post on Thursday, said that a scan of his head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis “showed no evidence of acute injury.”
However, Armstrong’s kidneys failed, and he has a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle-fiber contents into the bloodstream, which can damage the kidneys. Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by trauma such as a beating or cocaine use, doctors say.
Cocaine and marijuana were detected in Armstrong’s system, the records show. His family denies he was using cocaine and say police tampered with his medical reports.
“It’s gerrymandered and manufactured just like the other things brought by the Denver police to fit what the story says,” Earl Armstrong said of his brother’s medical reports. “They are all in collusion, and the (University of Colorado) Hospital is in collusion. This hospital is just as culpable as this Police Department.”
Sarah Ellis, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said: “It’s very important that medical records be accurate and reflect a patient’s care, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
Denver police officer Daniel Swanson and Thomas Armstrong exchanged blows after police say Armstrong attacked Swanson as the officer got out of his patrol car to question him at about 1 a.m. Nov. 11. Other officers responding to Swanson’s calls helped to subdue Armstrong and hold him down. Police say Armstrong was acting suspiciously, crossing and recrossing East 11th Avenue near Xenia Street.
While in police custody, Armstrong stopped breathing and had no pulse. Officers revived him at the scene.
Armstrong’s family denies the police version of events, saying they are police targets because of brother Earl Armstrong’s activism on police brutality.
John Marshall, regional director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he wants to talk to witnesses, the Armstrong family and police.
“The stories do not hold true,” Marshall said of what he’s heard. “Particularly … two witnesses, one saying one thing, one saying another. I am concerned about (Armstrong’s) record with the Denver Police Department. The fact that he was handcuffed and the man was on him with his weapon, that is a concern also. We do not form opinions until we get all sides and get the facts.”
Thomas Armstrong remains in critical condition, and doctors were in the process of weaning him off a ventilator when he was transferred to Denver Health Medical Center on Wednesday, the records say.
This week, Earl Armstrong said his brother’s testicles were swollen, but the report says they were not. His brother’s rectum was bleeding because of gastrointestinal bleeding, but the bleeding was not caused by abdominal injuries, the records show.
Witnesses to the incident have come forward with conflicting accounts.
Janea Monroe, 19, said she saw a single officer with blond hair and blue eyes on a handcuffed Armstrong’s back with a weapon pointed to his head. Swanson, the only officer reported to be alone with Armstrong, has brown hair and eyes.
Monroe could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Earl Armstrong says the police are covering up for the officer who fought with his brother and believes they have given a different officer’s name in order to conceal who did it.
A hospital worker who lives nearby also says she saw the incident and watched as two police officers kicked a standing and handcuffed Armstrong.
Lori Sykes, who lives in the area, said she saw the incident occur in an alley behind Xenia Street.
The medical records also show that Armstrong was admitted to CU Hospital after an unrelated beating in February, suffering multiple bruises, abrasions and cuts. A hospital report at the time described him as intoxicated and “extremely verbally abusive to staff,” with a “history of assault.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
