Another potential witness has come forward in the altercation between Thomas Charles Armstrong and Denver police, saying the initial officer who contacted Armstrong struggled with him but did not throw any punches.
The man, who asked that his name not be used, said he was interviewed by police after the altercation in the early hours of Nov. 11 on East 11th Avenue near Xenia Street.
“There were no weapons, and there was not a fight. It was a struggle with a very uncooperative person,” the man said.
Armstrong suffered kidney failure, a fractured nose, and bruises and cuts to his face and knees after his arrest. Police say they were forced to fight to subdue him, but family members say he was targeted because of the anti-brutality activism of his brother, Earl.
Cocaine and marijuana were found in Armstrong’s system, according to a medical report.
While in police custody, Armstrong stopped breathing and had no pulse. Officers revived him at the scene.
The witness, however, did not see what happened after several more officers showed up to help officer Daniel Swanson, who first encountered Armstrong.
Other people have provided different accounts of what may have happened that night.
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 brown eyes.
The man who spoke to The Denver Post said he saw the officer trying to tell Armstrong to stop resisting. It then looked like Swanson was trying to get to his radio.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
