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ARVADA, Colo. —  An Arvada man has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the Arvada Police Department, claiming that an officer repeatedly punched him while he was being arrested.

The lawsuit claims that on Feb. 11, 2018, Travis Cook had an argument with his then-girlfriend and police were called due to the volume of the argument. Based on witness interviews, the officers decided to arrest Cook for allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend, for which he was eventually acquitted.

According to the lawsuit, three Arvada police officers attempted to arrest Cook. Cook says that two of the officers asked him to stand up and Officer Brandon Valdez asked him to sit back down. Cook said that he did not comply with the contradictory orders.

The lawsuit claims that Valdez then began repeatedly punching Cook in the face. The other officers then threw Cook onto the floor, used a taser on him and then placed him in handcuffs, according to the lawsuit.

Valdez claimed that Cook elbowed him in the chin and that’s why he repeatedly punched Cook.

The lawsuit states that two witnesses who saw the arrest both testified that Cook did not elbow or physically contact Valdez before Valdez started punching Cook.

Cook was acquitted of assault and resisting arrest. He was convicted for obstructing a peace officer, according to the lawsuit.

On Monday afternoon, APD send the following statement about the case:

“Today we learned a lawsuit alleging excessive force was filed by attorneys for Travis Cook in the United States District Court. The lawsuit alleges three Arvada Police Officers used excessive force while effecting Mr. Cook’s arrest following a domestic violence investigation in 2018. Mr. Cook, who at the time of his arrest was 6’2”
and 245lbs, was involved in a physical altercation with his girlfriend prior to officers’ arrival on the scene.

Following their investigation, officers determined there was probable cause to arrest Mr. Cook for Felony Assault. State law mandates arrest in this situation. As detailed in the Police Report (No. 18-2233), Mr. Cook resisted officers when they attempted to place him under arrest, so officers were required to use force to protect the alleged victim and to take Mr. Cook into custody. Mr. Cook was eventually tried on charges related to this incident and was convicted of Obstruction of a Peace Officer. Mr. Cook’s actions also resulted in a violation of his probation in an earlier vehicular assault case.”