Officer suspended after off-duty arrest for alleged assault

An Aurora police officer is suspended without pay after his offduty arrest during an investigation of assault of an at-risk adult.

About 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to the 15000 block of East Briarwood Circle in Aurora to investigate a “physical altercation,” according to an Arapahoe County sheriff’s news release.

“Witnesses told deputies they observed a male punching a woman several times in the head and the face,” the news release said.

Douglas Harroun, 32, was arrested and taken to the Arapahoe County jail. His bail, for the felony assault charge, is set at $25,000. The 49-year-old victim in the case is physically disabled, the sheriff’s office said. She was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries.

The Aurora Police Department on Thursday said Harroun has been suspended without pay after his arrest.

Aurora police responded to the Wednesday incident, and deputies were called to pursue the investigation.

“The alleged actions Wednesday night are inconsistent with the Aurora Police Department’s core values,” said interim Chief Art Acevedo in a news release. “We want to thank our partners at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office’s for responding and taking the lead on the investigation.”

Aurora police have opened an internal affairs investigation of the alleged assault.

Harroun, who was hired in 2020, was involved in a nonfatal police shooting Dec. 31, police said.

He was put on paid administrative leave after the shooting.

The police shooting happened in the 1200 block of North Chambers Road, Aurora police said in an earlier news release.

Officers responded to a 911 call about domestic violence at a residence, and the suspect in the case was “uncooperative” as he was being arrested. Another man “became involved” in the situation and “one of the officers fired their weapon, striking that man in his lower leg.” The man who was shot was taken to a hospital for medical care.

The Critical Incident Response Team for the 18th Judicial District is investigating the shooting. The domestic violence, and the shooting investigations are ongoing.