DENVER — A day after a police officer pleaded guilty to assault for body slamming a man, the victim said he plans to file a lawsuit because of lasting physical injuries and mental health issues.
“I didn't want to do anything. I wanted to be in a room, a dark room. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I hated everything,” Elijah Smith said in an interview with 9NEWS.
Officer Adam Glasby, 39, was seen on video body slamming Smith in the early morning hours of June 13 as throngs of people swarmed downtown to celebrate the Nuggets championship win. Video shows Glasby responding to a fight outside of a bar.
Smith admitted to 9NEWS he ran toward the fight to punch a man in defense of a friend, which the video shows.
“But as soon as I took two steps back I just felt my body being lifted in the air. And then that was it. And I felt the pain,” Smith said. “Like everything was black, but it was static, like a television.”
Content Warning: The video below contains graphic violence and may be difficult to watch.
Cell phone videos and footage from the city's HALO (High Activity Location) camera show Smith going limp on the ground as Glasby attempts to revive him. The city released videos of the incident after 9NEWS requested them last year. The city wouldn’t release the videos until the criminal case was adjudicated in court.
Glasby was charged with felony assault. In a plea deal with prosecutors, he entered a guilty plea to a single misdemeanor assault charge on Monday in Denver District Court.
As a result of the misdemeanor conviction, Glasby will lose his state certification to be a law enforcement officer in Colorado.
“Now that the criminal case against Officer Adam Glasby has been adjudicated, the Denver Police Department will move forward with and complete its administrative investigation into this incident, and the Denver Department of Public Safety will begin the process of dismissing Officer Glasby due to the disqualifying incident of 3rd Degree Assault,” a statement from the Denver Police Department said.
Civil rights attorney Mari Newman, who represents Smith, told 9NEWS she does not consider the criminal case “accountability.”
Newman said she plans to file a lawsuit against Glasby and the police department soon.
“So we're seeking, of course, to get him some kind of a remedy for the incredible damages he's personally suffered. But we're also looking to hold the Denver Police Department accountable, and to finally force it to change its conduct,” Newman said.
Smith said he hasn’t been able to consistently work because of his physical and mental injuries.
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