Viral Video of Auburn, Washington, Officer Punching Man More Than 20 Times: Man Files Claim Against City After His Charges Were Dropped
On November 9, Mauro Alberto Felix Valles, 33, filed a notice of claim through his attorney, Evan Oshan, against the City of Auburn, Washington, and its police department, alleging that Officer Andrew Bryant used excessive force during his arrest on October 28. A notice of claim is the legal step required before suing a government entity. Video of the arrest had already circulated widely on social media: according to the New York Post and Seattle's Focal News, the footage shows Bryant first bringing Valles down with a Taser, then straddling him in the middle of a road and punching him in the head more than 20 times. The claim says Valles speaks Spanish and does not speak or understand English, and lists his injuries as a concussion (a mild traumatic brain injury), multiple contusions to the face, and a Taser dart wound to the left upper abdomen.
The encounter happened at about 3:15 p.m. on October 28 near Auburn Way North and 37th Street Northeast in Auburn, in King County. According to Auburn police, Bryant was the first officer to respond to a report of a man running through traffic and attempting to get into passing vehicles. In body-camera, dash-camera and street footage released by the department, Bryant gets out of his cruiser and yells at Valles to get on the ground or be tased; when Valles does not immediately comply, Bryant deploys the Taser. The claim alleges Bryant then struck Valles in the head and face with his fists at least two dozen times, and a bystander can be heard shouting in the video, "He doesn't understand!" According to the Post, Bryant can later be heard telling fellow officers on the video that he thought he felt Valles grab at his holster, so he kept delivering strikes until Valles stopped.
After Valles was taken from the scene by ambulance and hospitalized, police booked him on investigation of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, third-degree attempted assault, obstruction and possession of a controlled substance. According to the Issaquah Reporter and Focal News, the Auburn city prosecutor's office dismissed all of the pending charges on November 5, though the dismissal was without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of refiling as the investigation develops. Bryant remains on administrative leave.
The case is under investigation on two tracks. The Renton Police Department is conducting an independent criminal investigation of Bryant's conduct; according to Focal News, department spokesperson Meeghan Black said the investigation is expected to be sent to King County prosecutors next week without a recommendation, and prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges. Auburn's internal investigation will begin once the criminal investigation concludes. On November 4, Oshan's firm also filed complaints with the Washington Attorney General's office, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the state officer certification board, asking that Bryant be fired and his certification revoked.
At a press conference on November 12, Oshan demanded Bryant's immediate firing, and told the Post that Valles had been approaching the officer for help in what was a mental health call, said testing found no drugs in his system at the time, and demanded a criminal investigation and Bryant's firing. Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus previously said she had seen the video, understood why it raised serious concerns, and called the footage difficult to watch. According to the Post, a city spokesperson declined to comment on the claim, the state Attorney General's office did not immediately return a request for comment, and it was not known who is representing Bryant. The injuries and account in the claim are allegations by the claimant and have not been decided by a court.
Source: New York Post
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：华盛顿州Auburn市政厅（Joe Mabel摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经Wikimedia Commons）
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