Handcuffed Colorado Man Who Was Stunned by a Taser Settles a Lawsuit for $1.5 Million

A man who was stunned with a Taser while handcuffed, including on his lip, has settled a federal lawsuit with a Colorado sheriff’s department for $1.5 million, his lawyers said Monday.

Kenneth Espinoza was arrested after he stopped to wait for his son when he was pulled over in Trinidad, Colorado, on Nov. 29, 2022. Espinoza, who had been following his son to a car appointment, was first told he had to move his truck. But after he started to leave, he was ordered to stay. Las Animas County Sheriff’s Deputy Mikhail Noel pulled his gun, then took out his Taser, according to an independent investigation.

Noel, then Lt. Henry Trujillo used their Tasers on Espinoza. The Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in September they were both fired after an investigation by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office found they had violated a number of agency policies, including inappropriately using a Taser against Espinoza and inaccurately reporting what happened.

Read the source article at AP News