In response to a public disclosure request made by The Seattle Times, the Seattle Police Department released body-camera footage in which Colorado Avalanche team physician Bradley Changstrom told officer Joshua Knight that the team tried to remove a woman from forward Valeri Nichushkin’s hotel room but couldn’t due to her intoxication.
The incident took place on April 22 at the Four Seasons Hotel prior to Game 3 of the first-round series between the Avalanche and Seattle Kraken. Nichushkin did not play for the remainder of the playoffs due to what the Avalanche deemed as “personal reasons” and he has not publicly commented since.
Changstrom indicated to Knight that Avalanche officials tried to place Nichushkin and the woman in separate rooms before Nichushkin left with Avalanche security director John Burbach.
“We were trying to get her out of the room,” Changstrom told Knight. “And she was very clearly intoxicated. Very clearly, I could not send her in an Uber due to her safety.”
The audio is partially redacted in the video obtained by the Times.
It was previously reported on May 4 by Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that a 911 call was made by Changstrom to request assistance for the woman in Nichushkin’s hotel room. Changstrom did not identify himself on the call, but police records indicate he was the caller.
Changstrom told officers he could not account for the previous 12 hours before responding to the woman in Nichushkin’s hotel room.
In the newly released video, Changstrom indicated that the woman hit him on the arm when asked about reports of her swinging at people, but did not want to press charges. Changstrom also said that he and Avalanche security member Todd Fuller tried to put clothes on the woman in the hotel room, and was later struck on the arm, while adding that she couldn’t find her credit card.
In the second part of the video, officer Knight confers with fellow police officer Ryan Beecroft outside of the hotel, recapping the incident. The woman, who claimed she was from Russia, said her passport was stolen. Changstrom previously told officers that the woman was perseverating in maintaining her ID card.
“I got the name but she says she’s from Russia, she came here for school but she couldn’t say the school is what she’s claiming. She kept saying whoever she’s with is a bad man and he took her passport,” Beecroft tells Knight.
Changstrom then speaks to the officers and the audio is redacted when he brings up an issue about Nichushkin’s medical health.
There is no criminal investigation as a result of this incident.
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