No charges for La Junta officers in MMA fighter’s force case

A grand jury has declined to indict a pair of La Junta police officers who were accused of excessive force after picking up a mixed martial arts fighter for being drunk in public.

Prosecutors told The Denver Post Monday that 12 jurors found no probable cause to charge the officers.

MMA fighter Donovan Duran says police took him to Arkansas Valley Medical Center on Dec. 7 and beat him as he got out of the car. He says he may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hurlbert says he presented the case to a grand jury so the community could be involved in the decision.

La Junta’s public safety director did not immediately comment. The grand jury’s report could be available next week.