SEATTLE — State and federal prosecutors say Seattle police officers involved in the rough arrest of four Mexican family members in 2010 will not face criminal charges.
The Seattle Times reported that the four relatives were working as a cleaning crew and leaving a bank when officers pulled up looking for two men who had been kicked out of a nearby bar. In a patrol-car video released by Seattle police Tuesday, the officers approach two men in a car and ignore or ridicule their claims that they don’t speak English.
A confrontation began as the driver’s wife and another man exited the bank. One officer, David Bauer, punched the driver, Rufino Ocampo Estrada, more than a dozen times. All four relatives were arrested. The city settled a lawsuit brought by Ocampo Estrada’s wife in 2013 for $25,000.
Chief Kathleen O’Toole learned of the video in May and referred the case for possible criminal charges.
The prosecutors said the video did not provide enough evidence for felony assault charges. Bauer is on leave pending administrative review.
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