A 26-year-old Denver man said he was “pummeled” by police in Lower Downtown during the World Series weekend. Eric Winfield was walking through a crowd outside a Denver nightclub about 1:45 a.m. Oct. 28 when he was tackled from behind, he said.
Three Denver police officers dressed in black beat Winfield, a graphic designer and artist, to the ground without identifying themselves as police or asking him any questions, he said.
“It just doesn’t seem like this should happen,” Winfield said. “The only word I have for it is ridiculous.”
Denver Police Department spokesman John White said the Internal Affairs Unit is investigating Winfield’s claims.
“We do have information, and we are looking into it,” White said. “It is an active investigation.”
Winfield, who was arrested on suspicion of assault and resisting an officer, has hired Boulder attorney Richard Irvin. Irvin declined comment.
After the incident, Winfield was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was handcuffed to a gurney for about six hours before getting four stitches in his head, he said.
Winfield said he was partying in LoDo that night, with his housemate and his housemate’s girlfriend, and drank four beers and four shots of whiskey between 6 and 10 p.m.
After 10 p.m. he went to his sister’s apartment downtown, where he had one beer. Winfield, his housemate, Mark Michelin, and his housemate’s girlfriend, Rachel Garcia, left the apartment about 1:40 a.m.
Near 14th and Market streets, Garcia became separated from Michelin and Winfield in a crowd. Winfield left Michelin to find Garcia, he said, and a commotion broke out in the mass of people. That’s when police jumped Winfield from behind, he said.
Michelin gave a similar account, saying he found Winfield face down on the pavement, blood streaming from his face, with an officer kneeling on his friend’s head.
Michelin said he and Garcia tried to talk to police but were told to “leave.”
“One cop came out and put his hand against my throat and pushed me against a cop car and told me to leave the scene,” Michelin said. “I didn’t know cops could do that – grab you by the throat.”
“I couldn’t believe it happened,” Michelin added.
Winfield has a court appearance scheduled Friday.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
