A police officer was arrested on a charge of theft after allegedly stealing cash from an unconscious crash victim, according to police in Colorado.
Denver police said that they have arrested Officer Julian Archuleta, after his body camera recorded him taking a suspect’s cash following a car accident.
Archuleta was charged with theft, official misconduct and tampering with physical evidence. According to the police investigation, Archuleta responded to a scene of gunfire in the early hours of Friday morning.
Archuleta followed the suspects’ car until the driver stopped and fled from the scene. The passenger remained in the car as he was unconscious.
Archuleta searched the unconscious man’s clothes, and found a stack of $100 bills
A detective who collected evidence from the scene, including narcotics, weapons and cash, did not find the $100 bills that were recorded on the police officer’s body camera.
The detective notified the Internal Affairs Bureau, and they launched an investigation. When Archuleta was questioned, he claimed that he found the 12 $100 bills in his bag.
He explained that the money must have fallen into his bag while investigating the accident scene. The police officer was suspended without pay.