A federal jury Friday awarded a blind man $400,000 in a lawsuit filed after his head was slammed into a counter by a Denver police officer.
Philip White of Eagle sued Denver police Officer Kyllion Chafin and another officer over a May 22, 2012, incident at the downtown Greyhound Bus Terminal.
White, who was in Denver at a conference on technical advancements to assist the blind, was trying to return to Eagle when the incident unfolded, said his attorney, Darold Killmer.
White had planned to catch a bus to Vail and take a van to Eagle.
At the downtown station, White was told that the bus was full and he couldn’t get on board. White wanted to discuss options with staffers at the terminal, but he eventually was told by a security guard that he was “trespassing” and he’d have to leave the terminal, according to court documents.
White declined to leave, and the security officer called police.
Chafin was among the responding officers.
When he arrived, White was on his phone with 911, asking police whether they could help him.
White asked Chafin whether he could “touch” his badge, a blind man’s way of verifying that Chafin was indeed a police officer.
Chafin declined.
Instead, he wrenched White’s arms behind his back and pushed him forward, slamming White’s head into a ticket counter, according to court documents.
Bleeding from the head, White was handcuffed and taken to the Denver jail. He was released about eight hours later, near midnight. No criminal charge was filed against White.
“We are very gratified that the jury recognized that Denver police Officer Chafin engaged in excessive force,” Killmer said. “The police officer’s aggressive, bullying response was inexcusable. He bloodied and brutalized an elderly disabled man who never in his 77 years had any run-ins with police.”
The case, filed in U.S. District Court, went to trial Monday. The jury began deliberating Thursday and came back with a verdict Friday afternoon.
The verdict includes $100,000 in compensatory damages and $300,000 in punitive damages.
“We respect the court and we repect the jury’s decision,” said Sonny Jackson, a police spokesman. “We reviewed the case. We didn’t find any violations of policy. We are always looking for ways to improve.”
In 2008, Chafin was commended by the police department for his role in preventing an armed man from committing suicide.
White, now 80, is a retired public schools administrator who has a master’s degree in education.
