Federal lawsuit filed against former Aurora cop charged with beating disabled woman
A former Aurora police officer charged criminally in connection with the assault of an at-risk adult in January now faces a federal civil lawsuit claiming he used excessive force against the disabled woman.
Wyoma Martinez filed the lawsuit Thursday against Douglas Harroun and the city of Aurora for an incident she said started because he was mad at her for walking her dog too slowly in an apartment complex parking lot.
In the lawsuit, Martinez explained that she took her dog off of its leash because the frigid weather was making it hard to walk the animal across the ice. Martinez, 49, said that she suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which is painful to her joints and slows her down. She said that Harroun, who was off-duty, drove up behind her with his wife in his Jeep, revved the engine and started yelling at her, the lawsuit said. He then got out and punched her in the face, according to the lawsuit.
Witnesses called 911 when they saw Harroun throw Martinez to the ground and begin to strangle her, the lawsuit contends. Harroun then showed his badge and told onlookers that Martinez was “going to jail.”
When Aurora police officers arrived, it was Harroun who was arrested. At the time of the incident, Harroun was already on administrative leave for his involvement in an officer-involved shooting that happened on New Year’s Eve.
Harroun resigned in February and his preliminary hearing on the assault charge is scheduled for next month in Arapahoe District Court. He is facing one felony charge of third-degree assault against an at-risk adult.
In a press release at the time, Aurora interim chief of police Art Acevedo said: “The alleged actions Wednesday night are inconsistent with the Aurora Police Department’s core values. We want to thank our partners at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office for responding and taking the lead on the investigation.”
When asked to respond to this latest civil suit, the Aurora Police Department and the city of Aurora officials said they don’t comment on pending litigation.