Pueblo police respond to viral video of arrest outside bar

A video showing Pueblo Police forcibly detaining an individual to the ground outside of a local bar on B Street is gaining attention on social media.

The fight happened during the early morning hours April 6. Phone footage from a witness shows two officers throwing punches at the suspect on the ground. Onlookers can be heard yelling at police to stop.

Pueblo Police tell KRDO that the individual on the ground was 21-year-old Christian Guerrero. Police on scene said Guerrero tried to obtain one of the officer’s firearms and nearly succeeded.

“We have an officer on the ground, and his gun almost ready to be taken out of his holster,” said Capt. Kenny Rider with the Pueblo Police Department. “Officers are doing everything they can to keep that suspect distracted and get him off the sergeant who is laying on the ground. You are looking at a situation that if the gun gets loose then they may have to use deadly force, and we don’t want that.”

Rider says officers are walking into dangerous situations when called to bars or taverns.

“Lots of tight spaces, where people could be intoxicated. A lot of times when officers get there, there is already some sort of disturbance or some sort of fight,” Rider said.

As a result of the brawl, Guerrero and another man were arrested, and one officer was taken to the hospital with injuries.

A similar situation occurred a little more than a month ago at another bar on 3rd street and Santa Fe. In that brawl, another officer was taken to the hospital with injuries.

The video was recorded by 21-year old Lawrence Ayale, who was at the bar for a birthday party. Ayale says an initial fight broke out between two groups, then minutes later police arrived on scene.

“As soon as I saw the cop starting hitting on the guy I had to zoom in on it,” said Ayale. “You never really see police brutality like this in person other than on social media.”

Ayale says he never saw anyone reach for an officer’s weapon, and he has a different takeaway from the whole experience.

“What I’ve seen from my video and from my standpoint that guy was fully restrained and that cop was just wailing on him,” said Ayale.