Two Denver police officers were cited following separate incidents in downtown over the past two months, the Denver Police Department announced Thursday.
Officer Gabriel Lucero was fired Wednesday following a May 22 incident where he and others allegedly assaulted an individual on the 16th Street mall at about 1 a.m. Following the assault, security, including an off-duty officer, escorted Lucero and the group away from the unidentified business.
Lucero, who identified himself as a police officer, then tried to use his police badge to regain entry to the business. Pressed for more information, Lucero gave a false name, according to the police news release. Lucero was cited for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting. Lucero, who joined the department in 2025, was on employment probation at the time of the incident.
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In a separate incident, Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding. Leach allegedly drove out of a parking lot going the wrong way on Larimer Street, near Coors Field, at about 1:41 a.m. on June 21, according to the release. He then ignored on-foot officers who sought to stop him. At 1:48 a.m., Leach was then allegedly seen driving at a high rate of speed on Park Avenue West, where he ignored officers’ police lights and sirens when they tried to initiate a traffic stop, the release stated.
Leach has been placed on “off-line assignment.” Denver Police will conduct an administrative review of the incident after the judicial process has played out, according to the news release.
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