A parked Denver Police cruiser. Sept. 30, 2021.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The city of Denver is paying $75,000 to a man who was beaten and arrested by Denver police officers even though he wasn’t suspected of a crime, according to a 2021 lawsuit.
City Council approved the settlement on Monday.
The case dates back to 2019 when Aaron Hernandez, then 60 years old, was sitting in his car with his son. Police ran the car’s plates and found that his son had a warrant out for arrest. Hernandez was not suspected of committing any crime.
According to the lawsuit, the officers punched, kicked and elbowed Hernandez, breaking a bone in his eye socket as he exited the car. The police officers jailed Hernandez and charged him with assault, claiming he hit the officers first.
But according to reporting from the Denver Post, body camera footage disputed the officers’ account, and the assault charges were later dropped.
The Denver Police Department declined Denverite’s request for comment.
The settlement is the latest in a string of payments over claims of misconduct involving the Denver Police Department.
Denverite has reached out to lawyers for Hernandez.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect the Denver Police Department’s response.
