A King County Sheriff’s Office deputy, accused of assaulting a handcuffed suspect in March, has pleaded not guilty.
According to court documents, nine King County deputies responded but only five saw Deputy Good allegedly punch the suspect, identified as David Teson.
Three deputies said the force was not reasonable, one said it was reasonable, and one said they “didn’t think it was something that should have been done.”
According to the deputies who saw the alleged assault, Teson didn’t strike Deputy Good at any point.
One sergeant said Teson kicked another deputy in the chest several times, knocking him backward. The sergeant then saw Deputy Good push the deputy to the side and punch Teson three times in the chest, with maybe two or three more punches after that. He said he and the deputy then pulled Deputy Good off Teson.
According to court docs, the deputy said he was kicked by Teson while he was trying to put Teson’s legs into the back seat of the patrol car. He then saw Deputy Good hit Teson two to three times in the chest. He and the sergeant then pulled Deputy Good away.
The King County Prosecutor Attorney’s Office referred the case to a use of force expert.
“Good’s use of force against someone who was handcuffed, and seat belted in the back of a patrol vehicle was not necessary and was unreasonable. Even though Mr. Teson had kicked a deputy and was yelling profanities, there were other options available to gain compliance, including the same method the deputies had used to get Mr. Teson in the patrol vehicle the first time,” said the expert.
The next court hearing is December 6.