A father is preparing to sue local officials in Washington after he was violently beaten by a police officer during an arrest last month, leaving him with a concussion and other brain injuries, according to newly filed legal documents.
Mauro Alberto Felix Valles, 33, submitted a notice of claim against the city of Auburn, a required step before suing a government entity. The filing stems from his widely circulated Oct. 28 arrest, during which Police Officer Andrew Bryant allegedly used a Taser and punched him more than 20 times.
Body-camera footage released by the Auburn Police Department shows Bryant exiting his cruiser and shouting at Valles: “Hey! You’re under arrest. Get on the ground. Do it now … Get on the ground right now or you are going to get tased.”
Valles, who was shirtless and standing in the middle of traffic, did not comply with the officer’s commands.
According to the claim, Valles “speaks Spanish and does not speak or understand English.”
Bryant then fired his Taser, sending Valles to the ground as he screamed in pain, the footage shows.
The officer proceeded to punch Valles repeatedly before the camera fell to the pavement. Valles’ cries can still be heard as the alleged beating continued, according to the video.
At one point, another man is heard shouting, “Hey! He doesn’t understand!”
Prosecutors announced last week that they had dropped charges of disorderly conduct, attempted assault and possession of a controlled substance against Valles, while leaving open the possibility of filing new charges, KOMO News reported.
The legal notice alleges that Bryant “struck [Valles] in the head and face with his fists at least two dozen times.”
“The force was unnecessary and excessive,” the claim states.
Valles’ attorney, Evan Oshan, told The Post that the impact of the punches was compounded when Valles’ head struck the pavement after each blow.
Valles “suffered a concussion (mild traumatic brain injury), contusions to the face, multiple other contusions and a Taser dart wound to the left upper abdomen,” the notice alleges. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance and continues to experience pain, confusion, fear and emotional distress, according to the filing.
Oshan said Valles, who has a daughter and no criminal record, had been seeking help when officers arrested him. The attorney also said tests showed that Valles had no drugs in his system at the time.
“He was approaching the officer for help. It was a mental health call. It was complete shock to him when he got electrocuted and brutally beaten,” Oshan said.
Oshan told The Post that he wants Bryant criminally investigated and charged. He is also calling for the officer to be fired.
Auburn police said the Renton Police Department was conducting a criminal investigation into Bryant, while the city was pursuing its own internal review of the incident.
“If an ordinary citizen had done this, nobody would be asking whether there should be charges. They would be asking when. A badge should not change that answer,” Oshan said.
Bryant was placed on administrative leave while the internal investigation proceeds, an Auburn spokesperson said.
Fox 13 Seattle reported that Bryant had been responding to a call about a person running through traffic and trying to enter a vehicle.
In the body-camera video, Bryant can later be heard telling fellow officers that he believed Valles had reached for his firearm.
“At one point, I felt him, I think he grabbed my gun. I’m not 100% sure,” Bryant says in the footage. “I think he tried to, or did grab at least, my holster. So, I just started delivering strikes until he stopped.”
Oshan disputed that account, saying Valles was looking for assistance and had not attempted to hurt anyone or enter a vehicle.
A spokesperson for the city of Auburn declined to comment. The Washington state Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
It was not immediately known whether Bryant has an attorney.
In an earlier statement, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus said she had watched the footage and understood “why it has raised serious concerns.”
“The footage is difficult to watch, and I recognize and empathize with the questions people are asking about what happened that afternoon,” Backus said.