UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/21/2023 9:46 p.m.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The man who allegedly assaulted a CSPD officer has been identified as 26-year-old Bryton Johnson.
CSPD also released that, before his arrest on Friday, Johnson was wanted on multiple previous warrants, including Second Degree Assault, Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender, Obstructing a Peace Officer, traffic related charges, and narcotics charges.
UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/21/2023 8:40 p.m.
The suspect who assaulted a police officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) on Friday has been charged with First Degree Assault on a Police Officer, Second Degree Assault, and Attempted Disarming of a Police Officer.
CSPD described the suspect as a “wanted male,” but did not specify what charges he was wanted for.
The officer and suspect sustained minor injuries, and have since been treated and released from the hospital.
ORIGINAL STORY: CSPD officer allegedly assaulted, suspect in custody
FRIDAY 4/12/2023 4:45 p.m.
A police officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is recovering from minor injuries after allegedly being assaulted during a call for assistance near Austin Bluffs Parkway and North Academy Boulevard on Friday, April 21.
CSPD tweeted about the alleged assault just after 3:15 p.m. on Friday, saying that the department was responding to an assault of a police officer but that there was no threat to the public at the time.
A spokesperson for the department on scene said officers originally responded after a business in the area called for a tow truck to tow a car the business believed was abandoned in their parking lot. However, a 26-year-old man was inside the car, though CSPD said it was not clear if the man was living in the car or not.
The tow truck driver called for help from law enforcement, and CSPD said the man in the car originally complied with the responding officer when the suspect got out of his car. However, when the officer went to perform a pat-down, the man “grabbed the officer in a bear hug,” which resulted in both of them falling to the ground in a struggle.
Once on the ground, CSPD said initial investigation suggested the suspect grabbed the officer’s gun and a single shot was fired, though it did not hit the officer or the suspect.
CSPD said the suspect was taken into custody, and both he and the officer were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries resulting from the struggle.
The investigation is still ongoing, CSPD said, and full charges have not been determined, though the spokesperson said the suspect would most likely be facing assault charges. Additional charges could still be added pending the outcome of the investigation.