Double Amputee Police Recruit Sues Denver Over ‘Barbaric Hazing Ritual,’ Paramedics, and Officers

DENVER — A police recruit who lost consciousness and repeatedly collapsed during fight training at Denver’s police school is suing the people who he says made him continue the “barbaric hazing ritual” even though paramedics ignored warning signs. Both of his legs had to be cut off. In a complaint filed Tuesday, Victor Moses, 29, says that aggressive police officers knocked him down several times in the second round of “fight day” last year, with one of them pushing him off the mat and hitting his head on the floor. The claim said that he was forced to keep going and that officers picked him up and put him back on his feet before asking nearby paramedics to check him out. Moses told them that he had sickle cell trait, which means that intense exercise could cause him more health problems. The claim also says that he said he had very low blood pressure and that his legs were cramping. People who have this problem should be aware of the danger signs. Even so, Moses was cleared by paramedics to go back to training, which the lawsuit says was done to help the cops. Police recruits often get the kind of training mentioned in the lawsuit. Ian Adams, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, said that this kind of training helps prepare recruits for what they might face on patrol. He said that recruits often get minor injuries and sometimes die, usually because of an underlying medical problem. The Denver Police Department and Denver Health, the public hospital that hired the paramedics, both refused to say anything about the claims, saying they could not do so because they were still in court. Denver Health and its staff put safety and well-being first, the hospital said in a statement. The office of the city attorney was also called and emailed to get their opinion. Everyone who wants to join has to go through training that gets them ready mentally and physically for fights they might see on the street. In the lawsuit, it says that recruits are forced to punch and kick a dummy or a trainer carrying pads, fight trainers with a padded baton, wrestle, and practice arresting someone who attacks them. The lawsuit says that the practice is an overly violent rite of passage that police recruits have to go through to join the police “fraternity.” It says that some trainees were hurt before Moses started his drills. For example, someone’s nose was broken. The lawsuit also says that recruits are taught that using too much force is “officially tolerated, and indeed culturally expected.” John Holland and Darold Killmer, Moses’ lawyers, say that way of thinking has made the police force violent and caused cases that cost Denver millions of dollars. Holland said, “Fight Day both encourages Denver police to be violent and doesn’t care about the harm they cause.” According to the case, Moses was allowed to continue training on January 6, 2023, even though he couldn’t stand or walk to the next round, which was wrestling. Someone else came up to Moses and jumped on top of him. The recruit soon said he couldn’t breathe and stopped responding. He was taken to the hospital, the claim says. Moses’ lawyers say, “If this had been a football game or boxing match, the head injury and loss of consciousness would have ended any further play or fighting right away.” The lawsuit claims that Moses was basically in police custody after becoming mentally ill and that he was the victim of excessive force because the training went on without his permission. Moses used to spend his free time with friends hiking and going to bars, but these days he spends most of his time in his Denver apartment. He is learning to walk again with the help of devices, but he can’t charge them himself because his hands are hurt. Even though he takes strong painkillers, he lives with constant pain from the limbs he no longer has. He used to run rental cars and wanted to become a police officer because he thought it would be a more interesting and meaningful job for someone who likes talking to people. Moses was finally taken to the hospital, but Moses’ lawyers say that cops lied to doctors by not telling them that he had hit his head on the floor, which made it harder for doctors to give him the right care. Moses was in the hospital for more than four months and had both of his legs cut off below the knee. In July, he had surgery to try to get his grip back in one hand. He now wants to know what would have happened if the cops had not been trained. “I probably still have my legs.” Likely, I could still keep my cool. “If you hadn’t hazed us, I could have been a police officer,” he told The Associated Press.