An Auburn police officer has been placed on administrative leave while his department investigates video that appears to show him repeatedly punching a man in the head and face during an arrest in the middle of Auburn Way North on Wednesday afternoon, October 28 — an encounter the department itself has now put before the public by releasing the officer's body-camera footage, dash-camera footage and traffic-camera footage of the incident.
The Auburn Police Department said officers were dispatched at about 3:15 p.m. on October 28 to reports of a man running in and out of traffic on Auburn Way North, near 37th Street NE, and attempting to enter vehicles passing by. Auburn is a city in King County, south of Seattle, in a part of South King County — alongside Kent and Federal Way — where many Punjabi and other South Asian families live and work.
What the released footage shows
In the body-camera footage released by the department, the responding officer approaches a shirtless man standing in the road with his arms raised and orders him, “Hey, you're under arrest. Get on the ground. Do it now.” After repeated commands, the officer warns the man he will be tased if he does not get on the ground, and then deploys the Taser. The man can be heard screaming in the footage.
What followed is the part of the video that drew public outrage when a bystander clip circulated online. As the officer tried to handcuff the man on the pavement, a physical struggle ensued, and the footage appears to show the officer straddling the man in the roadway and striking him repeatedly in the head and face. The man can be heard pleading and apologising — at one point yelling “No, please” — while Valley Regional Fire Authority personnel who were called to help calm him can be heard telling him, “Hey, listen! We're here to help you, okay?”
The department said it took four officers in total to gain control of the man and place him in handcuffs. In the body-camera video, the officer's hand is visibly bloodied after the struggle, and he appears to drive himself to hospital afterwards.
What is solid
- The incident happened at about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, on Auburn Way North in Auburn, Washington, after reports of a man running in traffic and trying to enter passing vehicles (Auburn Police Department).
- The officer deployed a Taser before the struggle, and it took four officers to handcuff the man (Auburn Police Department).
- Both the man and the officer were transported to hospital for evaluation; the department said the man did not appear to have sustained serious injuries.
- The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation, and the department has released body-camera, dash-camera and traffic-camera footage.
What is only claimed
- The exact number of punches: KIRO's review of the footage put it at approximately 20, one witness said she counted 22, and KING 5 noted at least 24 punches heard or seen in the body-camera video. No official tally has been released.
- How much the man was resisting during the restraint, and whether the level of force was justified, are the central questions the investigation must answer; the bystander clip does not show the moments before the Taser was used.
The department's response
After the bystander video spread online, the department released all of its own footage. “We understand the concern surrounding the October 28 incident,” Auburn police said in a follow-up statement. “The Auburn Police Department takes all officer involved incidents seriously and treats these investigations with the utmost urgency. We are committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation, maintaining transparency throughout the process, and ensuring fair treatment for everyone involved.” The department said it released the body-worn camera, dash camera and traffic camera footage “in an effort to be as transparent as possible.”
The officer has not been publicly named by the department in the reporting reviewed for this story, and administrative leave is a step taken while an investigation runs — it is not, by itself, a finding that the officer broke policy or the law. No final determination about the force used had been announced as of Friday.
What the arrested man faces
According to KOMO News, the arrested man was booked on allegations of non-felony possession of a controlled substance, disorderly conduct and obstruction, and was also charged with attempted assault. Those are allegations to be tested in court, not findings of guilt. The department said the man continued to scream and resist during the arrest, and that fire personnel were called in to assist in calming him.
Use-of-force investigations turn on exactly the records this department has now released: the full body-camera sequence, not only the clip that went viral. For Punjabi and other immigrant families in South King County, the case is a live test of how a local department handles a force complaint in public — the investigation's findings, and whether any discipline or referral follows, will be the measure of the process the department has promised.
What happens next: the department's investigation into the October 28 arrest continues, with the officer on administrative leave, and Auburn police say further updates will be provided as it proceeds. The investigation will have to answer whether the force complied with department policy and Washington law, drawing on the three released videos and the officers' reports. Awaaz Punjab will follow the findings when they are announced.