Cheyenne woman whose nephew was arrested taken to jail on interference warrant
Apr. 19—CHEYENNE — The aunt of a man whose arrest was filmed and published online, and later featured in body camera footage released by the Cheyenne Police Department last week, was arrested at the Laramie County Governmental Complex Wednesday afternoon.
Nadia Gauna was arrested at 2 p.m. in the courthouse, at the same time her nephew, Yzail Gauna, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing. She was arrested by Laramie County Sheriff's deputies on a warrant for interference with a peace officer (resist) in connection with the same violent traffic stop that landed her nephew in jail.
A vehicle occupied by three adults and two children was stopped by police at around 10:30 p.m. on April 5 for an "equipment violation." Nadia and Yzail Gauna were two of the adults in the vehicle. Nadia Gauna was driving at the time. Police asked Yzail Gauna, seated in the back seat, to exit the vehicle after he gave a false identity. Upon his exit from the vehicle, an altercation ensued between the man and multiple police officers.
The weekend after the incident, an online citizen-published video showed the altercation and brought allegations of police brutality from Nadia Gauna and others who saw the video, according to prior reporting by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Last week, in response, CPD released an edited video of officers' encounter with the family during that traffic stop. In official statements, and in captions on the video, CPD claims that Yzail Gauna charged at an officer when he was asked to exit the vehicle.
The video shows a CPD officer grabbing Yzail Gauna by the arm while he is still in the vehicle, before abruptly pausing while the man exits with a caption that reads "Gauna pushes the officer and attempts to run away." Police can later be seen pinning the man to the ground, and an officer strikes him 40 to 50 times with a baton.
Police have also said that Yzail Gauna grabbed an officer's taser while pinned to the ground and used the taser on an officer's neck, which is not directly visible in the video.
Yzail Gauna was eventually booked into the Laramie County jail on prior warrants, a felony count of aggravated assault on a peace officer, misdemeanor possession of a marijuana-type drug and a seat belt violation.
While officers are using their baton on her nephew, Nadia Gauna can be seen in the video standing on the road nearby, and can be heard, faintly, screaming through a police car's dashcam microphone. She can also be seen getting close to officers as they continue to strike her nephew before an officer shoves her onto the sidewalk.
A probable cause affidavit for her arrest, signed by police the day after the incident, on April 6, details the encounter with her nephew before describing her alleged role in interfering with it.
"The officers continued trying to restrain Yzail and place him into custody," the affidavit read. "Nadia got out of the driver's seat of her car and ran towards officers. She was told to stay away by officers on the scene. As the officers attempted to place Yzail into custody, Nadia again approached the officers, getting within a couple feet of them. Nadia then approached the officers as they performed their lawful duties. ... The in-car camera from (a CPD) patrol vehicle captured Nadia's actions during this incident. Nadia clearly tried multiple times to interfere with the officers as they attempted to arrest a combative individual."
According to an arrest record for Nadia Gauna obtained by the WTE, she entered the Laramie County Circuit Court and was "found to have a warrant ... for interference with a peace officer." The warrant, CPD told the WTE, was signed by a judge on Monday, April 8.
CPD Public Information Officer Alexandra Farkas, quoting state statute, said anyone can face charges of interference with a peace officer "if he knowingly obstructs, impedes or interferes with or resists arrest by a peace officer while engaged in the lawful performance of his official duties."
A date for Nadia Gauna's preliminary hearing had not been set as of Thursday afternoon.
Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on X at @bySamirKnox.
