Four police officers jailed for death of Donovan Balanta in custody in Bogotá
A major, a sub-inspector and two patrol officers were sent to prison for the aggravated homicide and torture of young Donovan Balanta at a Soacha police station.
Four uniformed officers detained for death of Donovan Balanta in police custody
According to noticiasrcn.com, a major, a sub-inspector and two patrol officers of the National Police were sent to prison after being arrested on 19 October for their alleged involvement in the death of Donovan Balanta, 34 years old, which occurred between 20 and 21 September whilst he was in police custody.
The four uniformed officers were charged with the crimes of aggravated homicide and torture. The incident began in the Caracolí neighbourhood in the Bogotá district of Ciudad Bolívar, where Balanta allegedly threw an object at agents attending a dispute between neighbours. He was subdued by several officers and transferred to the Cazucá station in Soacha.
Before and after the transfer, the young man allegedly received indiscriminate beatings and multiple electric shocks. At the arraignment hearing, the Prosecution presented videos from the station's security cameras in which Balanta is seen on the ground, calling for help whilst receiving the electric shocks.
The prosecution authority stated that "patrol officer Jonathan Alexander Giraldo Torres activated the electronic taser device, which was assigned to him as standard equipment, repeatedly on the victim's body, who screamed in pain and called for help".
After experiencing breathing difficulties, Balanta requested to be transferred to a medical facility. His request, as well as that of another detainee, was allegedly ignored for 20 minutes.
The Legal Medicine office determined that the young Afro-Colombian man died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia caused by the electric shocks to which he was subjected. The four individuals involved, removed from their posts along with three other uniformed officers, refused to accept the charges. The Prosecution has not ruled out the arrest of other officers involved in the incident.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá