Former Colorado police officer charged in connection with tasing and chokehold during traffic stop

Prosecutors charged a former Englewood police officer on Tuesday for his alleged actions during a traffic stop south of Denver last month, where he's accused of shocking a man with a taser, putting him in a chokehold, which is prohibited by Colorado state law, and lying about the interaction.

Former Englewood Police Officer Ryan Scott Vasina was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, first-degree official misconduct, and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors, in connection with an Oct. 8 traffic stop near West Union Avenue and South Broadway.

Vasina, 30, radioed that the 20-year-old man he stopped for allegedly running a stop sign and who didn't speak English, was physically resisting and fighting with him. A review of his body-worn camera footage by CBS News Colorado and investigators showed that to be false. Vasina still tased the man and pulled him out of his car.

"It is evident from the video footage of the interaction between Officer Vasina and the driver that a language barrier existed, and that Vasina responded with visible frustration and anger," Arapahoe County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said in a statement on Tuesday. "The initial nexus of the stop was a car driving by Vasina that changed lanes in a way that appeared 'suspicious' to Vasina. The penalty for failing to stop at a stop sign or even refusing to provide identification does not warrant a use of force response that Vasina engaged in, particularly where there was no active resistance, threatening language, furtive movements or attempts to flee or evade."

The man he stopped spoke Spanish throughout the interaction. Vasina speaks in some Spanish, asking the man for his license, and the man replies, "porque," the Spanish word for "why?" He appeared compliant otherwise, turning off his car when Vasina told him to. Vasina repeatedly says "let me see your f*****g hands" multiple times, and the man's hands are raised, with just his phone in one hand.

After Vasina tases him, pulls him out of the car, and throws him on the ground, the bodycam footage goes black for a few seconds, indicating it was up against the man's back and Vasina's actions during those few seconds can't be seen from that angle, but dashboard camera footage from Vasina's patrol car shows the officer on top of the man.

The man then says in broken English, "I don't know what you say," and "translator, please."

Moments later, the man repeatedly says, "my neck," and then "water for me, please." Vasina replies, "not right now."

As Vasina starts patting the man down, he says, "no pistola, I am good boy."

The man filed a complaint with the department the following day. Investigators photographed his neck, which showed bruising.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden said in a news conference on Tuesday that the chokehold lasted approximately 12 seconds and the driver couldn't breathe during that time.

"The driver did not resist, fight, or fail to comply with any lawful order before force was used against him," she said.

Vasina was fired by the department in October, his actions condemned by his former chief.

"The former officer's conduct does not reflect the values of the Englewood Police Department," Englewood Police Chief David Jackson said in a statement. "Our officers are expected to serve with professionalism, respect, and restraint. We are committed to transparency in addressing any incident that falls short of those expectations." Information contained in this release is publicly available in the Arrest Warrant. All public records can be requested and obtained via the Courts. As a reminder, all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Englewood PD requested that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation serve as an outside investigator in the case.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Jackson said Vasina had no complaints or disciplinary actions against him prior to this case. He was employed by the department since November 2024 and worked at the Colorado State Patrol prior to that.

If convicted of any of the three charges, Vasina would lose the ability to serve as a law enforcement officer in Colorado, per state law. If convicted of just the felony, he also faces two to eight years in prison.

Vasina was taken into custody on Monday and released on a $25,000 bond, court records show. He does not have a future court date listed as of Tuesday afternoon.

He has not yet retained an attorney, according to those court records, and a voicemail seeking comment was left on a phone number listed in public records as belonging to Vasina.