Man sues Renton over use of force during arrest

Published 3:10 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2026

A Renton man has filed a lawsuit against the City of Renton and two officers, alleging that in 2024, he was physically and emotionally injured, and that body cam footage was also withheld from him.

On Feb. 25, Darren Beeks filed a complaint for damages against the City of Renton and two Renton Police Department officers, alleging excessive force, unlawful arrest, First Amendment violations and Public Records Act violations.

These allegations stem from an April 13, 2024, incident in the 2200 block of Maple Valley Highway in Renton, where Beeks heard a crash outside his home, went to help and took pictures at the scene before officers took him to the ground, arresting him, alleging obstruction of justice.

According to body cam footage of the incident, provided by Beeks’ attorney, before the arrest, Beeks and officers had a verbal dispute over his refusal to leave the crash scene, and officers stated that he was in an active crime scene and that they would arrest him for obstruction. Body cam footage then depicts Beeks saying he’s going to take pictures before he begins walking between two officers. Multiple officers then begin to arrest Beeks, taking him to the ground.

According to the police report of the incident, when officers took Beeks to the ground, he continued screaming and attempting to resist by pulling his arms away. Officers then searched Beeks and found a pistol in his back pocket, according to the police report.

According to the complaint, when officers arrested Beeks, four officers converged on him, throwing him to the ground and fracturing his ribs, and he now has ongoing damage to his wrist. The complaint states that the incident continues to impact Beeks’ life, causing him pain, mental distress and interfering with his ability to work.

Beeks was taken to SCORE jail and spent two days there before a judge ordered his release. The Renton City Attorney then charged Beeks with obstruction of justice.

According to the complaint, following his charge, Beeks’ attorney requested documents from the Renton Police Department, including body cam footage of the incident. Despite officers stating in paperwork that there was body cam footage, it was not contained in the records requests, the complaint states.

The complaint states that, after losing hope that a video of the incident existed and fearing the impact that further prosecution could have on his life, Beeks entered an Alford plea. According to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, an Alford plea is a formal admission of guilt to charges while the defendant simultaneously maintains their innocence.

According to Beeks’ attorney, Darcy Covert of Stritmatter Law, although the body cam footage of the incident was not initially released, it was released 13 days after Beeks entered an Alford plea. Covert stated that if that footage had been released before his plea, there’s a good chance the outcome of his case would have been different.

“I definitely have some ideas about what could have happened. We’ll see when we get into discovery what all we find,” Covert said. “But this is needless to say, concerning timing, that he was told repeatedly by prosecutors that there was no video of this up until the point that he plead, and then very soon after that, Renton Police Department releases the video.”

According to Covert, body cam footage of the incident could have corroborated an argument that there was no probable cause for obstruction of justice and supported a strong First Amendment defense. Covert said she believed there was insufficient probable cause to charge Beeks with obstruction of justice, and she found it surprising that prosecutors decided to proceed with the case.

Regarding why officers arrested Beeks, Covert said that she believes Beeks was arrested because he was taking pictures at the scene of the crash, and the officers didn’t like it, so they infringed on his First Amendment rights. Covert said that preceding this incident, Beeks had no criminal history, so going to jail was psychologically difficult. Covert added that SCORE jail is a very rough jail to be in.

According to Renton Police Department spokesperson Meeghan Black, the two officers involved in the case are still employed with the department and are not on leave. Black stated that all cases involving the use of force are reviewed.

Black stated that the department cannot comment on pending litigation. City spokesperson Laura Pettitt also stated that Renton cannot comment on pending litigation.

See the body cam footage below: