Westminster police threw a 78-year-old man to the ground inside a Walmart then shocked him with a Taser to the point of “significant bleeding,” the man alleges in a federal excessive-force lawsuit filed against the city and two officers over the 2020 incident.
Clayton Shriver, in his lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Denver, says he was experiencing a “mental health episode and/or medical crisis” when Westminster police Officers Michael Owen and Tyler Farson violently arrested him on charges of trespassing, obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest at a Walmart.
All charges against Shriver, who is now 79 and had no prior criminal record, ultimately were dismissed, according to the lawsuit.
Westminster police spokeswoman Cheri Spottke declined to say Tuesday whether Owen and Farson remain on the force.
“We are aware of that pending litigation, but due to the fact that it is pending litigation, we cannot comment on the matter,” Spottke said.
(Editor's Note: On Wednesday evening, Spottke issued a lengthy statement about the lawsuit. It can be read in full by clicking here.)
