Three AlliedUniversal guards gave man beat-down for 43 minutes
Denver CO June 6 2018 An RTD (Denver Regional Transit District)-contracted security guard has been charged with first-degree assault after he allegedly challenged a man to a fight in a Union Station bathroom and then knocked him unconscious.
James “Drake” Hunter, 34, also has been charged with one count of intimidating a witness or victim. The charges were filed Friday by Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s office.
Hunter, an employee of Allied Universal Security, and three other Allied security officers ordered the victim to move from a bench near Union Station in the early morning hours of April 20, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. An argument broke out between the victim and the officer.
One of the officers asked the victim if he was “a tough guy.” When the victim said he was, the officer challenged him to a fight in a restroom inside Union Station because “there are no cameras.” Officer Victor Diaz closed the sliding collapsible gate at 2:47 a.m. to block access to the restroom, the affidavit says.
Diaz, 28, also has been arrested in connection to the case, according to Denver police. He is suspected of first-degree assault.
A third suspect, Sgt. Taylor Taggert, 27, was arrested along with Diaz on Friday.
Taggert is suspected of first-degree assault and intimidating a witness.
Once inside the restroom, Hunter allegedly hit the victim on the left side of the face.
The victim fell to the floor unconscious.
Over the next 43 minutes four security officers are seen entering the restroom repeatedly, the affidavit says.
At 3:30 a.m., the victim was seen leaving the restroom with a large bandage above his right eye.
No emergency medical responders were notified about the man’s injuries on the night of the incident, according to court documents.
On April 25, the victim went to University of Colorado Hospital emergency room to be treated for “memory loss issues and a headache.”
Immediately after the incident, the victim didn’t recall anything else until he awoke two days later in his home. He didn’t report the fight to police until May 17.
