Brighton – An activist who tussled with police during a University of Colorado regents meeting was attacked and fought back in self-defense, a defense attorney told an Adams County jury Monday.
But a prosecutor says video footage will show that Shareef Aleem, 37, provoked the altercation by ripping university police officer Greg Barthlome’s badge off his shirt and grabbing him by the throat. Barthlome suffered an elbow injury that required medical attention, Senior Deputy DA James Colgan told jurors during opening statements in Aleem’s trial.
“The defendant was not going to go quietly,” Colgan said. “All this is on tape, and you’re going to see the crime unfold before your own eyes.”
Aleem, 37, was arrested during a Feb. 3, 2005, regents meeting at CU’s Fitzsimons campus in Aurora, which turned raucous as officials discussed embattled CU professor Ward Churchill, who had compared some Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism victims to a notorious Nazi.
Aleem pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree assault of a police officer, which carries a penalty of up to 16 years in prison. His attorney, W.A.M. Al-Haqq, argued that Aleem was unfairly singled out by police.
“Testimony will show that it was officer Barthlome who attacked Mr. Aleem and that Mr. Aleem acted in self-defense because of the conduct of officer Barthlome,” Al-Haqq told the jury.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com
