Prosecutors charged a former Englewood police officer on Tuesday for his alleged actions during a traffic stop south of Denver last month, where he’s accused of shocking a man with a taser, putting him in a chokehold, which is prohibited by Colorado state law, and lying about the interaction.
Former Englewood Police Officer Ryan Scott Vasina was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, first-degree official misconduct, and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors, in connection with an Oct. 8 traffic stop near West Union Avenue and South Broadway.
Vasina, 30, radioed that the 20-year-old man he stopped for allegedly running a stop sign and who didn’t speak English, was physically resisting and fighting with him. A review of his body-worn camera footage by CBS News Colorado and investigators showed that to be false. Vasina still tased the man and pulled him out of his car…