‘When somebody has a badge you don’t know what to do’: Man strangled by Colorado officer speaks out

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — For the first time, we’re hearing from a man who was strangled and pistol-whipped by Aurora Police during his arrest in July.

Kyle Vinson was wanted on a domestic violence arrest warrant out of Denver when Aurora police officers John Haubert and Francine Martinez arrived on scene to arrest him. Body camera video shows Haubert strangling Vinson and hitting him over the head several times with his gun.

“I just remember saying like, ‘He’s killing me and nobody’s stopping,’” Vinson told NewsNation affiliate KDVR in a sit-down interview. “I remember a couple people seeing me. I just remember seeing the horror in their faces, like being really scared and helpless, because when somebody has a badge you don’t know what to do. They have the upper authority.”

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson has condemned the actions of the two officers, who are now both facing criminal charges for how they handled an arrest in late July.

“We’re disgusted, we’re angry,” Wilson said when she released the body camera video just days after the incident. “This is not police work. We don’t train this. It’s not acceptable.”

Haubert is facing at least one felony charge and was placed on unpaid leave before he resigned. Martinez’s charges were misdemeanors so she was placed on paid leave for the duration of the investigation.