A Denver police officer faces further surgery on Thursday, though many of his most serious medical issues have been addressed, authorities said.
Officer John Adsit, a nine-year veteran, underwent several hours of surgery at Denver Health Medical Center on Wednesday after he was hit and dragged dozens of yards by a speeding Mercedes sedan.
Adsit was among several officers escorting hundreds of East High School students who were marching in solidarity with protesters in Ferguson, Mo.
“He was just lying there,” Taylor Ellison, a sophomore at the high school, said of Adsit. “His pants were ripped. He wasn’t moving.”
Adsit was one of four bicycle officers struck by the Mercedes. The other three officers were released from Denver Health hours later.
Police said Thursday they would continue to release only “major developments” in Adsit’s recovery.
Witnesses say the Mercedes’ driver — described as a man in his late 40s — accelerated west through the intersection of Colfax Avenue and High Street into the officers and a group of pedestrians before slamming into an SUV in a Taco Bell parking lot nearby, coming to rest.
The ordeal unfolded before dozens of student protesters and passers-by, who gaped in disbelief at the carnage. Many were still in tears hours after speaking with detectives. One woman dressed in nurse’s scrubs was covered to her knees in blood after apparently coming to the aid of the injured officers.
While witnesses speculated about what led to the incident, authorities did not release an official determination. Police Cmdr. Matt Murray said the driver, whose name has not been released by police, had a medical issue and police believe that issue occurred before he struck the officers.
The driver has not been identified by police.
Police said the bicycle officers from District 6 regularly work the 16th Street Mall and all have at least nine years of service, including one with 17 years. Before they were hit, the officers were taunted by some protesters as they rode along the group near the Capitol, pedaling uphill and keeping traffic out of the teens’ way.
East High School students planned the protest earlier in the week, expecting a few dozen participants. On Wednesday morning, their numbers quickly swelled to roughly 1,000 as the young protesters walked out of class.
The protests clogged downtown streets for several hours.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
