AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson is initiating a full investigation and an officer is on leave after a video was leaked to CBS4 showing officers trying to detain a suspect during a traffic stop on May 15.
“The Aurora Police Department is aware of the body-worn camera video CBS4 received. APD did not provide the video. The station received a copy of it from an unknown source,” Lieutenant Chris Amsler with the Aurora Police Department’s media relations office told FOX31 on Friday.
(A warning to viewers: The full video of the incident contains graphic language.)
“Prior to the stop seen on video, officers were conducting a separate traffic stop on Iliff near Buckley when the suspect vehicle came into the officers’ lane, nearly striking them with the car. One of the officers was able to catch up to that vehicle and conduct a traffic stop. That interaction is recorded on the body-worn camera,” Amsler pointed out.
Amsler said while conducting the stop, the driver was not fully cooperative with the officer’s instructions and repeatedly kept reaching toward concealed parts of his body and his vehicle, ignoring the officer’s commands to stop. This is all seen in the video.
Amsler noted the incident was previously reviewed by the Force Review Board and that the findings determined that “prescriptive training in a variety of areas should be provided to the officer in the areas of de-escalation, communication and other tactical subjects.”
A full investigation is now being performed due to the troubling nature of the video footage, irrespective of the contextual circumstances, according to Aurora police. The suspect who was arrested was identified as 25–year-old Preston Nunn.
“Per APD Policy, the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave with pay while the full investigation into this incident is completed,” Amsler said.
There has been no duty status change for any of the other officers involved and they are still working on patrol.