AURORA, Colorado — An off-duty Aurora police officer was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a disabled woman after an altercation Wednesday night.
Douglas Harroun, 32, was taken into custody on charges of third degree assault on an adult at risk, a class 5 felony, and booked to the Arapahoe County Detention Facility. Multiple times to his head and face, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Delegates responded to the area near E. Briarwood Circle at approximately 9:02 pm after first responders received a 911 call about a fight in an apartment complex.
Arriving police saw a woman walking her dog in the middle of the road and learned that Harroun was driving home in a jeep. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Denver on Wednesday, Harroun slowly followed her as her dog was off a leash and walked behind her as she approached the parking lot. had to drive.
“[The woman] Police stopped walking, turned around and yelled at Douglas for following her, before both the off-duty officer and the woman got into a verbal altercation.
Haroun then got out of the jeep and started arguing face-to-face with the woman while his wife stood behind her, so the 49-year-old was between the off-duty officer and his wife.
“Witnesses saw Douglas punch [the woman] right hand on the left side of her face. [The victim] As she fell to the ground, Douglas climbed over her and continued to hit her on the head four or five more times,” the arrest documents show.
The injured woman was taken to a local hospital, where medical staff determined she had “several fresh red marks, bumps and bruises consistent with those observed by witnesses,” according to an affidavit. bottom.
The woman reportedly told an off-duty officer and his wife that he had a disability, which later turned out to be complex regional pain syndrome.
Agents arrest Haroun and the Aurora Police Department launches an internal investigation. The off-duty officer was suspended immediately and indefinitely without pay, according to a police spokesman.
“Wednesday night’s alleged conduct contradicts the core values of the Aurora Police Department,” said Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo. “We would like to thank our partners at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office for responding to and taking the lead in the investigation.”
Harroun, who was hired in 2020, was involved in a non-fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve and was on paid leave after the shooting, police said.
Haroun’s bail is set at $25,000, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest Headlines | Jan 12 11am
