Fort Collins police investigate actions of off-duty officer

Updated 11:46 a.m. Oct. 12: The police officer at the center of an investigation of an incident that occurred while he was off-duty has been identified as Stephan Sparacio.

According to Fort Collins Police Services, the officer was on his way to an assignment on Oct. 6 when he saw a car speeding in traffic, so he followed the car until it parked. The officer tried to make contact with the woman, who reportedly tried to leave, and the officer "physically took her into custody" after an interaction between the two in the 1100 block of West Plum Street. Read the full story here. 

Original story: Fort Collins police are investigating an incident involving an off-duty police officer who pinned a woman to the ground.

A bystander captured a portion of the incident on video.

Fort Collins Police Services spokeswoman Kate Kimble said in a news release Sunday night that the officer was on his way to an assignment Friday when he saw a car speeding in traffic, so the officer followed the car until it parked.

Kimble said in an interview that the incident began around 3 p.m. when the officer was driving northbound on South Shields near Centre Avenue where he first observed "concerning" driving. 

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The officer, whom police have not identified, tried to make contact with the driver, who then tried to leave, according to Kimble, and the officer "physically took her into custody" after an interaction between the two in the 1100 block of West Plum Street.

The unidentified woman was cited for careless driving and obstructing a peace officer before she was released.

On-duty officers also arrived at the scene to assist and collect statements, Kimble said.

A concerned bystander, who recorded a portion of the interaction between the woman and the officer, called police during the incident.

Fort Collins resident Dylan Clark said he called 911 when he said he saw a man, who had apparently identified himself as an officer but was not in uniform, throw a woman to the ground at about 3:25 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Eleven 13 apartments in Fort Collins.

From Clark's vantage point, it appeared the pair had gotten in a what looked like a parking dispute, and he started recording after the woman began walking back with the man toward the car.

"Before the video, he was chasing after her in the parking lot and yelling after her," Clark said. 

"I told dispatch that a man was beating a woman up. ... I didn't say he had said he was a cop because we had no idea who he was or what he was trying to do," Clark wrote in an email.

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Clark said the main reason he decided to call 911 was how the off-duty officer identified himself.

"He said he was a cop, but only after yelling at her when she was walking away. He took out his wallet and shook it around, but we never saw any kind of badge. So we didn't know if he was a cop or some random angry guy going after her," he said.

The interaction continued after the recording, Clark said, when the officer held the woman down on the pavement as she screamed while he kept his knee on her back.

"She was cuffed, but he still kept his weight on her for quite some time. Then the cops we called showed up and talked it out with him. The woman was made to sit in her car during this time. He was allowed to leave on his motorcycle while the woman was allowed to leave a while later," Clark said.

Kimble said the video has been shared on various media platforms and "raised some questions from our community."

The incident is under internal review, per department policy.

"We are committed to fostering public trust and maintaining a safe community," Kimble said.

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Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Lt. Kristy Volesky at 970-224-6020.

This is not the first time Fort Collins Police Services has come under scrutiny for a video that has spread on social media involving an altercation with an officer. A nine-second video in April showed Fort Collins police officer Randy Klamser throwing a woman face first into the ground in Old Town during a late-night arrest.

Klamser was later cleared of wrongdoing by the department. The subject of the video, Michaella Surat, faces a trial in January on charges of resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer.

Reporter Saja Hindi covers public safety and local politics. You can follow her on Twitter @BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.