Nationwide — LaDarius Butler, an African American father from Aurora, Colorado, is suing police for excessive force after officers swarmed him with guns drawn and tasered him in front of his children. The confrontation happened after he removed his son from a hospital due to conflicting medical advice.
In May 2024, Butler and his partner took their 3-year-old son from Children’s Hospital after disagreeing with doctors, according to 9News. The couple said they wanted alternative care, but hospital staff reported the child was “gravely” ill and urgently needed treatment.
Police then tracked Butler using cell phone data to a Walmart parking lot. Body camera footage shows multiple patrol cars boxing in his vehicle before officers pointed their guns at him. Inside the car, Butler repeatedly asked, “What are you all doing?”
Seconds later, officers ordered him out. When he didn’t move quickly enough, they tasered him and pulled him to the ground as his children watched from the back seat. After handcuffing him, one officer explained they believed the child’s life was in danger.
Butler was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, but the case was dismissed. He later filed a lawsuit in Adams County, claiming police never tried to contact him by phone before the armed confrontation and used unnecessary force.
Aurora Police defended the officers’ actions, arguing they were responding to a credible report of suspected child abuse and kidnapping because a sick child had been removed against medical advice. A city attorney said the case is still being defended and offered no further comment.
A spokesperson for Aurora Police said, “Our officers were responding to a reported kidnapping stemming from the hospital, a reliable source. Any call about a child’s safety will always be something we take seriously.”
Children’s Hospital was not named in the lawsuit. When asked for a statement, a spokesperson said, “We don’t have a statement to provide for this story.”