ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — An Englewood police officer accused of performing a chokehold forbidden by state law on a driver in October has been terminated from his position and now faces multiple criminal charges.
Ryan Scott Vasina, 30, who has been terminated from his position since the incident, faces charges of felony and misdemeanor assault and first-degree official misconduct in connection with a traffic stop on Oct. 8. Englewood Police said he turned himself in on an arrest warrant on Monday.
"I felt that some of the language violated our values. I felt that the Taser violated our policy, and I felt like the neck encirclement violated the law," said Englewood Police Chief David Jackson during a news conference on Tuesday morning. "I certainly know all of the criticism of police and it's very disappointing."
Watch the full press conference in the video below.
The 20-year-old driver in the case was initially arrested and booked into jail on multiple charges, including obstruction of a police officer and driving-related offenses, but those have been dismissed by the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office. According to Vasina's arrest affidavit, the driver never tried to resist, flee, or threaten the officer.
The case started around 11 p.m. near W. Union and S. Broadway. Vasina was on patrol at the time and decided to follow an Audi after seeing the driver change lanes in a suspicious manner, the affidavit reads. The officer saw the driver fail to stop at a stop sign and pulled him over near S. Layton Street and S. Lincoln Street, according to the district attorney's office and Vasina's arrest affidavit.
Body camera video provided by the district attorney's office shows the moments Vasina approached the vehicle and the driver rolled down his window. Vasina asked for the man's license, however, there was a language barrier as the driver did not speak English well, the district attorney's office said. Arrest documents for the officer show the driver in the case is a Venezuelan national and knew minimal English.
The driver was able to ask why he was stopped. Vasina did not answer him and continued to ask for his license. The affidavit reads that at no point did the driver refuse to provide his license.
Vasina called for a second patrol unit to respond and then told the driver to turn his car off. The driver did so. In an interview after the incident, the driver told investigators that he was remaining calm and respectful while Vasina was being "violent," the affidavit reads.
According to body-worn camera footage, the driver was using his phone, and later told authorities he was trying to look at a picture of his driver's license and a translator app on his phone, the affidavit reads. Around this same time, Vasina is seen in the body camera video putting on gloves, which typically happens when an officer believes they will be "hands on" with someone, the affidavit reads.
The officer opened the driver's side door and ordered him out of the car. He initially said "Get out" and then "levantese," which translates to "stand up" or "get up." The driver said in a later interview that he should have been provided a translator, as he did not understand Vasina's commands and did not know what was happening at the time, the affidavit reads. He added that he had been stopped for a traffic violation before — that resulted in a ticket — and was provided a translator.
The driver recalled being frightened and "thought there was going to be an attempt on his life" as Vasina repeatedly yelled "F***!" and insults at him, the affidavit reads. He said he tried to pull up the picture of his license on his phone and the translator app.
Vasina then reached into the car and the driver moved his hand away, and the officer responded, "Gimme your f***ing hand," the document continues. The officer told dispatch over his radio that the driver was fighting.
"The driver did not resist, fight or fail to comply with any lawful order before force was used against him," said 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden during a news conference on the incident.
The driver told investigators that Vasina then threw himself on him and was "violent and aggressive," according to the affidavit.
Vasina removed his Taser as the driver leaned back into the car holding his phone, and said "Taser, I'm gonna tase you," gave the driver one second to comply and discharged the Taser on the driver, the affidavit reads. The driver yelled, "OK! OK!" as the officer used his radio to tell others that he had deployed the Taser, and then yelled at the driver to get on the ground.
The driver later said he thought the Taser was initially a firearm and he had been using his phone to share his location with his mother-in law, believing he was going to die.
The driver stood to get out of the car as the officer demanded he get on the ground, and before the driver could react, the officer took him to the ground in a chokehold, the affidavit reads. The driver recalled that he could not breathe and believed the officer was going to kill him. According to the body-worn camera footage, the driver did not resist the chokehold, which Vasina held in place for about 12 seconds, the affidavit reads.
Colorado law prohibits peace officers from using chokeholds. All chokeholds are prohibited under the Englewood Police Department’s Use of Force policy unless deadly force is authorized, the district attorney's office said. Vasina's report on the case did not note any use of a chokehold.
Once Vasina released his grip and handcuffed the driver, the body-worn camera footage recorded audio of the driver saying, "My neck, my neck." He said he was "confused" and "scared," and asked for water, which Vasina denied. The officer did call for medical attention due to the Taser.
The driver was then arrested and booked into jail. He was released and the charges were dismissed. According to the affidavit, the traffic violations that the driver was accused of are not arrestable crimes and did not warrant a use of force response.
The below photos were taken of the driver's neck the day after the incident.
The driver told investigators that he never hit or disrespected Vasina throughout the entire interaction. Chief Jackson said an internal affairs detective watched the body-worn camera and dash camera footage and alerted command staff. Shortly afterward, Vasina was put on administrative leave and never worked another shift for the department, according to the chief.
Chief Jackson said the department offers interpretation services to officers. He said in this situation, there was a Spanish-speaking officer on the way to the scene.
"I just can't help but think that if we would have just taken our time, been a little bit more deliberate, been a little bit more thoughtful, waited for backup. I think that... the incident would have been handled in a much better way," he said.
Vasina has been charged with second-degree assault, which is a felony, along with third-degree assault and first-degree official misconduct, which are both misdemeanors. He was terminated from the police department in October. He worked in the position since November 2024 and was with Colorado State Patrol previous to that, Chief Jackson said.
District Attorney Amy Padden said a conviction of the felony assault charge carries a sentence of two to eight years in the Department of Corrections.
"This traffic stop did not have articulable probable cause and the language barrier contributed to Officer Vasina's immediate anger and frustration with the driver," the affidavit reads. "The ensuing interaction was littered with curse words and yelling at (the driver). Vasina attempted an arrest on (the driver) for the primary violation of asking why he was being asked for his driver's license. There was no communication in English or Spanish that (the driver) was being arrested or what was occurring. Vasina attempted to tell (the driver) once why he was stopping him and never attempted it again."
Chief Jackson said Vasina's actions do not reflect the values of the department, and that they remain committed to transparency in addressing the incident. He said Vasina's previous body-worn camera footage did not reveal any other issues with his police work.
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