The city of Colorado Springs has agreed to pay $2.1 million to a Black man who was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop, per CBS News.
Navy veteran Dalvin Gadson was pulled over in October 2022 for allegedly driving too slow and not having license plates on his car. Body camera footage shows Gadson asking to stay in his car after police ordered him to exit his vehicle. Police then reached into Gadson’s car and began punching the man. Gadson fought back as officers claimed they were trying to prevent Gadson from grabbing a knife that was in the car.
Gadson was initially arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest, and DUI. Those charges were later dropped after Gadson pleaded guilty to unlawful display of a license.
The three officers involved in the incident, all of whom are White, didn’t face charges.
The Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-1 in favor of awarding Gadson a $2.1 million settlement. In a statement following news of the settlement, Gadson’s attorneys said “This kind of violence is unacceptable whether it happens in Camden County Georgia, or Colorado Springs.”
Attorneys noted that the move “should stand as a warning to all those who think their badges entitle them to brutalize the men and women they’ve sworn to protect and serve.”
“You are not above the law and if your own department refuses to hold you accountable, we will,” they wrote.
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