Man tased by GJPD attempts to sue the city and officer involved
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — A Grand Junction man is attempting to sue the city and a Grand Junction Police Department officer after he was tased in his home on the night of Jan. 14, 2023.
According to court documents, police responded to the home of Abraham Ybarra and his wife after a report was made about possible criminal activity at his house. A GJPD officer then forcefully kicked at the front door of Ybarra's home until he opened the door.
Ybarra was holding a cigarette lighter in his hand, and officers thought the lighter was a knife. When told to 'drop the knife,' Ybarra complied.
Once all the parties involved stepped outside, the man accused of the criminal activity, Gilbert Galan, dropped to the ground and surrendered.
Then, according to court documents, without reason, GJPD officer Cody Lopez deployed his taser at Mr. Ybarra and it struck him in the chest. Tasing someone in their chest can be fatal and GJPD are or should not be trained to aim a Taser at someone's chest.
Lopez was not investigated for his use of force by the Critical Incident Response Team, because according to CIRT guidelines, his use of force in this case did not rise to the level required to trigger a CIRT investigation.
Once on the ground, officers searched Ybarra believing he had a knife. Once searched, it was found that Ybarra had two harmonicas in his pocket, which according to court documents, Ybarra never reached for.
Now, Ybarra is attempting to sue the city and GJPD for their actions, including excessive force, and a trial by jury was requested.
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