‘Fire him’: Gee calls for Auburn officer’s firing after charges are dropped against man punched on video

Prosecutors have dropped all charges against a man an Auburn police officer punched repeatedly during an arrest. KIRO host Gee Scott said the officer should never work in law enforcement again.

“He should be done. He should be fired,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

On Oct. 28, police responded to reports of a man running in and out of traffic on Auburn Way North and trying to get into moving vehicles. Police said the man refused to follow commands, so an officer used a Taser. A struggle followed as the officer tried to handcuff him. Video appears to show the officer on top of the man, repeatedly hitting him in the head and face. A review of the footage counted about 20 punches.

At the scene, the officer told colleagues why he kept hitting the man, as body camera footage shows.

“At one point, I felt him. I think he grabbed my gun. Not 100% sure,” the officer said. “I think he tried to or did grab at least my holster. So I started just delivering strikes until he stopped.”

The man had been charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, attempted assault of a law enforcement officer, and possession of a controlled substance. On Nov. 5, the Auburn City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges without prejudice, which means they could be refiled.

The Auburn Police Department said the dismissal “allows the prosecutor to refile charges tailored to the facts and circumstances as they come to light during the investigation process.”

‘I wasn’t mad’

Gee said he questioned the charges from the start. When he heard they were dropped, it didn’t bother him.

“When I saw the charges were dismissed, to be honest with you, I wasn’t really angry about it,” Gee said. “Do I think he should be fired? Yes, he needs to be fired. No question about it.”

He said nothing the man was accused of justified the force used.

Gee also raised qualified immunity. As he understands it, the doctrine would likely protect the officer from being sued personally, so any civil lawsuit would fall on Auburn taxpayers. He said that’s one reason he opposes qualified immunity.

KIRO host Ursula Reutin said the dismissal caught her attention.

“It looked bad,” she said. “Are you admitting that what happened here could end up being bad for the city of Auburn?”

Lawyer: ‘Should not be wearing a badge’

The man’s attorney, Evan Oshan, said his client suffered a concussion. Police had said the man didn’t appear seriously injured.

“In my many, many years of practice and in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beating so severe,” Oshan said.

At a news conference the day the charges were dropped, he called on the officer to resign.

“The officer was on top of him, and he kept punching him in the head. Someone who does that should not be wearing a badge,” Oshan said, according to KIRO 7.

Auburn residents also spoke out at a city council meeting.

“I cannot comprehend how any reasonable person would determine that that was a necessary or justified amount of force,” one resident said. “Frankly, we are all very lucky that that amount of force was not fatal.”

Gee: Auburn police need to get ahead of this

The officer is on administrative leave. Auburn police are investigating whether his actions followed department policy, and Renton police have opened an independent criminal investigation.

Gee said the department should tell the public the officer was wrong, though he acknowledged that could hurt the city in a lawsuit.

“Fire this dude, fire him, come out and tell the people, ‘Listen, this is not what we stand for. This does not represent Auburn Police,’” Gee said.

He said that without that message, the case will linger alongside the department’s past. Former Auburn officer Jeffrey Nelson was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder in the 2019 killing of Jesse Sarey.

Gee stressed that he wasn’t criticizing every officer in the department.

“I’m not saying this is you,” he said. “But at the same time, you need to address the public and especially your community, letting them know this was wrong.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.