Tattoo Shop Owner Claims Police Brutality In New Colorado Lawsuit
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - Video released as part of a new lawsuit filed against Westminster police shows an officer coming up to the owner of a tattoo shop in Thornton and punching him.
The video was captured outside David Martinez's tattoo shop, and the lawsuit says the attack happened without provocation.
Westminster police was not aware of the lawsuit but told CBS4 this week it investigated the situation and determined the officers acted within policy.
The department says it never saw the surveillance video because the tattoo shop refused to hand it over. But it says will take another look at the claims when it can review the footage.
"If the roles were reversed, Mr. Martinez would be looking at 10-32 years in prison for assaulting a peace officer," Faisal Salahuddin, Martinez's lawyer, said in a prepared statement.