Colorado cop charged after pistol-whipping, choking unarmed man during arrest

A Colorado police officer captured on camera assaulting a man while taking him into custody has been arrested, and a second officer charged with not stopping the “despicable act.”

Body camera footage released Tuesday shows Aurora Police Department Officer John Haubert approach the victim, Kyle Vinson, around 2:15 p.m. Friday and immediately shove him to the ground.

As Vinson raises his hands in the air and asks what he did, Haubert draws his gun, then orders Vinson to “roll over on your stomach.”

“You have a gun pointed straight at your head,” Haubert says.

A female officer, later identified as Francine Martinez, tells Vinson that he has a warrant out, which he denies.

Haubert proceeds to hit Vinson in the head several times with his gun, and blood can be seen on Vinson’s head and hands as he screams, “you’re killing me.”

“If you move I will shoot you,” Haubert says with his hands around Vinson’s neck.

Haubert strangled Vinson for almost 40 seconds, during which the victim appeared to be losing consciousness.

Eventually, more officers arrived on the scene and one tased Vinson.

Vinson was hospitalized after the assault and needed six stitches to close a cut on his head.

“We’re disgusted. We’re angry. This is not police work,” Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said Tuesday at a press conference. “We don’t train this. It is not acceptable.”

She also said it’s unclear if Vinson even know there was a warrant out for his arrest for probation violation.

Haubert was charged with attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault, oppression, felony menacing and first-degree official misconduct and has been placed on unpaid leave pending the results of the internal affairs investigation.

Martinez was charged with failing to intervene and report use of force by a peace officer and placed on paid leave.

“We will continue to do training and we will continue to take people out of this agency if that is how they’re going to police,” Wilson said. “It’s not right.”