Austin police officer seen punching man on 6th St. indefinitely suspended

APD officer suspended indefinitely due to 6th St. incident

The Austin police officer seen punching a man in a viral video is on indefinite suspension for his actions back in October 2025.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin police officer seen punching a man in a viral video is on indefinite suspension for his actions back in October 2025.

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Man files federal lawsuit against APD officer caught on camera punching him on 6th Street

An Austin man has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the officer he says punched him in the head unprovoked on Sixth Street in October.

The backstory:

The attorney representing the man wearing orange in the video filed a federal civil rights lawsuit for excessive force, alleging that the attack on his client, James Rodriguez of Austin, on Oct. 10, 2025, was unprovoked.

Jeff Edwards is the attorney for Rodriguez and a partner at Edwards Law.

"The events, fortunately, were captured on video, and they just saw a police officer brutally punching an innocent individual in the head," said Edwards.

The officer’s punch knocked Rodriguez unconscious, resulting in a brain injury and PTSD, according to the complaint.

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Before hitting Rodriguez, Austin Police Department officers Kenneth Ledger and Garcia were responding to a fight outside a bar on East Sixth Street, where they detained 19-year-old Johnny Acuna-Jacobo and another teenager.

According to the legal filing, Officer Ledger allegedly threw Acuna-Jacobo to the ground, straddled him, and then started hitting him in the head. Garcia did the same with the other young man, who threw up his hands trying to surrender, when Garcia reportedly pushed his face into the concrete.

A crowd of people watched the events unfold. Garcia got up and started pushing people away, and put one of the women who was yelling at him to stop in handcuffs. As he was escorting her out, the lawsuit states, that’s when he allegedly gave no commands and punched Rodriguez in the face.

"There really was no conclusion that any rational person with a set of eyes could come to. I mean, after all, we've all seen the video. The officer punches someone for absolutely no reason," Edwards said.

According to APD’s Internal Affairs Division, during their interview with Garcia, he justified his behavior by saying Rodriguez was displaying "preparatory signs of aggressive behavior." 

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When asked whether the use of force was within policy, Garcia responded, "The totality of the circumstances of this whole crowd, I believe it's 100% objectively reasonable and within APD policy and within the law to deliver that strike."

The complaint against Officer Ledger was closed with no policy violation found against him. However, Garcia was recommended for indefinite suspension.

"Chief Davis's actions in holding these officers accountable and in indefinitely suspending them is the first step in breaking this pattern," said Edwards.

Dig deeper:

The lawsuit states that the Austin Police Department has a long history of officers using excessive force and failing to discipline those who commit violent acts, particularly in the Sixth Street entertainment district.

Records show that in police-related lawsuit settlements, the city of Austin has settled almost 80 civil lawsuits totaling more than $37 million in the past five years.