Bufordsecurity 
Longmont Private Guard Suspected of hitting a homeless man in the face with a baton It will be put into trial operation next year.
Michael Bruce, 37, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, felony threat, and criminal mischief in Boulder District Court on Friday.
Bruce is currently scheduled for a motion hearing on February 8, followed by a three-day trial on April 17.
According to the affidavit, on July 28, when Longmont police officers were patrolling the 1600 block on Main Street, they approached a witness that Bruce assaulted another man.
Police said Bruce was working for Front Range Patrol, a private security firm based in Commerce City, at the time.
Officers found the victim with blood covering the side of his face. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors said he had a one-inch deep cut on his head that needed to be closed with sutures or glue.
Longmont Police were able to obtain security camera footage of the incident. According to the affidavit, the footage shows Bruce approaching the victims named as witnesses in a service vehicle and “aggressively” speaking to them.
Footage shows Bruce chasing the guys down an alleyway when he appears to have a word with them. According to his affidavit, Bruce punches one of the men in the face, draws a flashlight and service weapon, and gestures to the ground as if ordering the man to lie down.
When the man began to walk away instead of lying down, police said Bruce appeared to hit the man twice in the face with a left-handed tool.
According to the affidavit, Bruce said in an interview with police that he believed the two men were “temporary” and trespassing. Bruce told the man he would “draw down”.
Bruce said he pulled out a gun because he thought the man had his hand in his pocket for a possible weapon. When the man did not bring out his weapon, Bruce said he grabbed a baton instead. Bruce said the man flicked a cigarette at him and Bruce felt the “tension” in the baton so he hit him in what he thought was a shoulder.
According to the affidavit, Bruce said Front Range Patrol’s policy was to “strike for strength,” but Bruce admitted the man never hit him. I didn’t have my camera on because I said dead. He also did not request the dispatch of the case or file a report of the use of force.
