Man Arrested After Colorado Springs Incident Reclassified as Assault

Overview

• Colorado Springs police responded to Sand Mountain Pt on Saturday after a reported hit-and-run and found a pedestrian who was taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
• Officers conducted an on-scene investigation that included collecting evidence and obtaining witness statements and then reclassified the event from a hit-and-run to an assault.
• Police identified 85-year-old Donald Laughlin as the suspect and took him into custody at the Stetson Hills Substation on assault-related charges.
• Witnesses and arrest records say the incident grew out of a parking dispute in which a pickup allegedly struck the victim and sent him onto the sidewalk, and Laughlin later told 911 he had 'bumped' his neighbor.
• The case remains open and under active investigation, with prosecutors and police expected to review evidence and determine formal charges while the victim recovers in hospital.