The man’s family has asked for “the criminal prosecution and termination” of the deputy who tased him; though the DA has declined to press charges.
The bodycam footage from a traffic stop that took a fatal turn has been released by both the authorities and the family of the man who was killed, showing the moments leading to 28-year-old Brent Thompson’s death.
According to The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Thompson, 28, was pulled over by Larimer County Sheriff’s Deputy Lorenzo Lujan on Februay 18 for driving a vehicle with expired registration.
In video of the stop shared with the public this week, Thompson — who said he did not have a license on him — first identified himself as “Jacob Jones,” before authorities quickly realized he had provided the wrong name.
Warning: While it doesn’t show the moment of impact, the footage below is disturbing to watch.
As they were about to arrest him, calling him “Brent,” Thompson then made a run for it, heading from a side road toward the interstate. As Lujan pursued him on foot, he shouted for Thompson to stop, warning him that he would be tased. After Thompson jumped the barricade for the I-25, Lujan deployed his taser while Brent was already in the road, causing him to collapse. The video released by the Sheriff’s Office ends with a car speeding toward his motionless body, as Lujan exclaims, “S—, s—!”
A longer version of the video released to NBC shows Thompson was handcuffed after being run over, before he was pulled from the road and given CPR.
“A Taser was deployed in an effort to stop him from endangering innocent motorists,” said the Sheriff’s Office. “Unfortunately, Mr. Thompson was struck by a passing vehicle. Despite lifesaving efforts by deputies and EMS personnel, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
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While Lujan was placed on administrative leave following the incident, the DA conducted an investigation and concluded no criminal charges would be filed against him. In his report, DA Gordon McLaughlin said that “while the result of this decision was tragic … the use of the taser was probably the only use of force he had available” to stop Thompson from crossing the highway.
McLaughlin also said Lujan’s “failure to fully assess the imminent threat of oncoming highway traffic was a clear lapse in judgment.”
While he added the deputy “used poor, and ultimately tagic, judgement” by deploying the taser after Thompson was already in the road, the DA also felt the “split-second decisions were not formed with evil intent.”
He has since been cleared to return to patrol, per the Washington Post.
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Thompson’s family has called for “the criminal prosecution and termination” of Lujan and reportedly also intends to file a civil lawsuit. “This man took responsibility to pull the trigger, to incapacitate my kid for 5 seconds,” his father said to NBC. “Look down stream, there’s a car coming!”
“When you tase someone on a highway, it is a death sentence. It is by definition,” Siddhartha Rathod, one of the attorneys representing the family, told CBS. “You know what is going to happen, and that is that they are going to be run over by a car.”
“This isn’t even the type of situation where the officer should chase someone. He knew who he was. It was a ticketable offense. It was a traffic violation,” Rathod continued. “And chasing someone onto I-25 alone is dangerous enough. It’s dangerous for drivers. But tazing someone on I-25 is insane and it’s criminal.”
In a statement, Sheriff John Feyen said, “As first responders dedicated to helping others, we grieve the loss of life in any situation. This incident is no exception, and multiple lives have been changed forever. Nobody wanted this outcome. I’ve met with the Thompson family and their representatives. Losing a loved one is heartbreaking, and I’m truly saddened by the loss they’re experiencing.”
Another attorney representing the family, however, told the Denver Gazette they believe the Sheriff’s Office is “more concerned with smearing the name of Brent,” after they shared they found drugs in both Thompson’s system and the vehicle after the incident.