A state trooper shot and seriously injured a 55-year-old man who assaulted him early Thursday during a traffic stop in Colorado Springs, police said.
The man shot was identified as Joseph Francis Cimeno, who was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault on a police officer.
The shooting happened at about 1 a.m. when Cimeno, driving a 1973 Ford pickup truck, fled a traffic stop at South Academy Boulevard near Interstate 25 after making an illegal U-turn, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Cimeno continued north on Academy for about four miles before stopping in traffic near Shelley Avenue, the patrol said.
When the trooper tried to arrest Cimeno, her became combative, resisting arrest and assaulting the trooper, police said.
The trooper fired his weapon, striking Cimeno.
Cimeno was taken to Memorial Hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound.
The trooper, a 29-year-old whose name hasn’t been released, was taken to Memorial Hospital with “minor” injuries, police said.
Colorado Springs police and El Paso County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or
