Just before 2 a.m. on August 29, 2021, Fort Collins police were on a trespassing call in Old Town. Andru Kulas was not the person they came for. He walked up, refused to step back when told to, and refused to physically take the citation an officer handed him. Ninety seconds later he was face down on the sidewalk with pepper spray in his eyes — deployed, according to his lawsuit, from about two inches away. He was left with a permanent haze across his vision. He was charged with obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest, on top of the trespassing citation he had refused to take. Every one of those charges was dismissed. Afterward, multiple Fort Collins officers reviewed this footage and concluded the force was reasonable and within policy. One person disagreed: the department's own Internal Affairs investigator, who found multiple policy violations and no justification for the force used. According to the federal lawsuit, the chief of police redacted her findings and exonerated every officer without explanation. In June 2026, the City of Fort Collins agreed to pay Kulas $397,000 to settle the case. This video shows both sides. Kulas swears at the officers and keeps closing distance after repeated orders to step back — that part is on camera too. Being rude to police is protected speech; refusing a lawful order is a different question. What the Fourth Amendment actually asks is whether the force was objectively reasonable given the severity of the offense, the immediacy of any threat, and whether the person was actively resisting. CHAPTERS 0:00 "I didn't do anything wrong" 0:12 A piece of paper, and permanent eye damage 0:48 The first contact — "you don't have rights right now" 1:48 Who he was, and the legal question 2:15 Seconds after the takedown 2:57 The other side — what the footage also shows 3:26 After the pepper spray 4:01 The injury and the charges 4:22 The officer explains why 4:58 What the Fourth Amendment actually asks 5:31 Medics arrive 6:11 "All you had to do was take your ticket and go" 6:56 What the department did with the review 7:27 Booking 8:07 The outcome — every charge dismissed, $397,000 8:30 If this ever happens to you SOURCE Body-worn camera footage from Fort Collins Police Services (Colorado), obtained in civil rights litigation and published by The Life & Liberty Law Office, which expressly authorizes reuse and republication for public interest and reporting purposes. Case reporting: 9NEWS, CPR News, CBS Colorado. Narration, analysis and on-screen panels are original. #bodycam #policeaccountability #fourthamendment #knowyourrights

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