TRINIDAD, Colo. — A lieutenant with the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office is accused of getting into an altercation with a teenager while off-duty following an alleged road rage incident in June.
The incident, which happened on June 18 in Trinidad, involved Henry Trujillo and David Romero, Jr., 16.
Trujillo told responding Trinidad police officers that the teen, who was riding a motorcycle, approached him aggressively and started assaulting him. However, surveillance video shows Trujillo shouting profanities at Romero as soon as he got out of his vehicle.
A fight quickly ensued, but it's difficult to determine who started it in the video. It continues until the teen and Trujillo move out of frame.
“[David Romero, Jr.] says Henry approached him screaming and stuff, and then kind of, like, got in his head and bumped him," said the teen's father, David Romero. "And they both started swinging at each other."
In the police report, Romero told police that Trujillo punched him in the helmet with a closed fist.
“This is a trained officer of the law who should be trained in handling situations and not abusing his power or authority,” said Romero. "I don't believe he's stable right now to be an officer of the law.
Trujillo and the teen were both charged with fighting in public, according to the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office.
This is not the first time Trujillo has been accused of excessive force. A lawsuit alleges Trujillo and another Las Animas County deputy assaulted and tased a man 35 times following a traffic violation in November 2022.
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Lawsuit alleges Las Animas County deputies tased man 35 times
Both deputies were placed on administrative leave following the incident, Las Animas County Sheriff Derek Navarette told Denver7.
Attorney Kevin Mehr, who is representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the teen's father reached out to him for insight.
“I think it's clear this guy shouldn't be a cop. He just can't be a police officer. He doesn't have the disposition to be a police officer,” the attorney said. “How many more victims does this guy have to have before they cut ties with him?”
Mehr said he is not representing the teen or his family.
The sheriff's office said Trujillo was placed on administrative leave without pay following the June incident. Officials said an internal investigation into the June incident is delayed pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the November incident.
