An Auburn, Washington, police officer has been placed on administrative leave after the department released body-worn camera, dashboard and traffic-camera video of an arrest in which he repeatedly punched a man in the head and face during a struggle in the middle of a busy road. The arrest happened at about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, at Auburn Way North and 37th Street Northeast in Auburn, a city in King County south of Seattle. The department released the footage on Friday, October 30, after a short clip of the encounter spread online and drew public outrage.
Source: FOX 13 Seattle, Oct. 30, 2026
The officer was identified in reporting as Andrew Bryant of the Auburn Police Department. Video reviewed by KIRO Newsradio appears to show approximately 20 punches delivered over about 32 seconds, mostly to the man's head and face — an observational count from the footage, not a confirmed investigative finding. The man, identified by relatives as Mauro Alberto Felix Valles, had been reported running through traffic and trying to enter passing vehicles, police said.
How the encounter began
Police were dispatched after reports of a shirtless man in traffic attempting to enter vehicles passing by, the department said. An 18-minute video released by police shows the man crossing several lanes as drivers slow down and steer around him. In the footage, the officer approaches, repeatedly orders him to get on the ground and warns he will be Tasered: 'Hey, you're under arrest. Get on the ground! Do it now!' When the man kept walking, the officer fired his Taser and the man went down on the pavement.
Source: Auburn Police Department account via KOOL FM, Oct. 30, 2026
The Taser, then a struggle on the pavement
The confrontation escalated after the Taser deployment. The officer climbed onto the man and tried to pull his arms behind his back to handcuff him; the man appeared to twist and resist, and the officer began striking him repeatedly in the head and face, at one point remaining on top of him for more than 20 seconds of punches while motorists waited nearby. During the struggle the officer's body-worn camera fell off, though it kept recording audio. A traffic camera recorded the scene from above. It ultimately took four officers to restrain the man and secure him in handcuffs, and firefighters responded to help calm him afterwards.
Injuries — two accounts
Both men were taken to local hospitals for evaluation. The officer received treatment for significant injuries to his hands, sustained during the punching. Police initially said the arrested man did not appear to have suffered serious injuries; his relatives later said he had sustained a concussion and other physical injuries, and his family said he was experiencing a mental health crisis during the incident. Those injury claims are the family's account and have not been settled by any investigative finding.
'We understand the concern surrounding the October 28 incident,' the Auburn Police Department said in a statement. 'The officer involved in the incident on Auburn Way North and 37th ST NE was placed on administrative leave yesterday pending a full investigation.' The department added that it 'takes all officer-involved incidents seriously,' is committed to a 'thorough and impartial investigation,' and released the body-worn, dashboard and traffic footage in the name of transparency.
Police booked Valles on allegations of non-felony drug possession, disorderly conduct, obstruction and attempted assault. He posted bond and was released from custody on Thursday. By Friday, prosecutors had not filed formal criminal charges against him, according to reporting on the case. Administrative leave is not itself a finding of misconduct, and no criminal charge against the officer had been reported as of Friday.
The investigations now running
The department says a full investigation into the use of force is under way. Internewscast reported that the encounter has also prompted an independent criminal investigation by the neighbouring Renton Police Department; KIRO Newsradio reported that the department had not answered questions about who is conducting the administrative investigation. No final administrative or criminal determination on the officer's conduct had been made in the public record as of October 30.
Why a roadside arrest in Auburn is being watched across the region
Auburn sits on the King–Pierce county line along the State Route 167 corridor, a commuter and freight route used daily by thousands of drivers — including Punjabi trucking families who run SR 167 and nearby Interstate 5 between Seattle, Tacoma and the Kent Valley warehouses. The case turns on questions that reach far beyond one intersection: how much force is justified against a person in apparent mental-health crisis who is resisting arrest, and how quickly departments should release the video that lets the public judge for itself. The Auburn department's decision to publish bodycam, dashcam and traffic footage within two days is now part of the story itself.
What happens next
The investigations will decide whether the officer's force followed department policy and whether any criminal charge follows — for the officer, and separately whether prosecutors file formal charges against Valles. Until those findings are public, the verified record is narrow: an October 28 arrest on Auburn Way North, video that shows roughly 20 punches in about half a minute, an officer on administrative leave, and a department promising a thorough and impartial investigation.