Overview
- Ryan Scott Vasina, 30, was arrested and charged with felony second-degree assault plus first-degree official misconduct and third-degree assault tied to an Oct. 8 stop in Englewood.
- The arrest affidavit says he tased the driver, pulled him from the car, and applied a neck restraint visible for about 12 seconds on video, a tactic restricted under Colorado law.
- Investigators cite dash- and body-camera recordings that undermine Vasina’s radio report that the motorist was fighting with him.
- The driver was identified as 20-year-old Venezuelan national Carlos Rangel-Rincones, who primarily speaks Spanish and struggled to understand the officer during the encounter.
- Englewood police fired Vasina in October; the chief publicly condemned the conduct, and officials say the case is under independent review by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney.