A week after getting suspended from the University of Washington football team indefinitely, Federal Way High School graduate Andru Pulu turned himself into Seattle police Tuesday.
According to King County Jail records, Pulu was booked into the Seattle Correctional Facility at 8:55 a.m. on investigation of assault. Pulu is suspected of assaulting a man at a party in the University District on March 7.
After spending the night in jail, Pulu was released at 5:57 p.m. Wednesday after posting bond. Bail for Pulu was set at $30,000 Wednesday by a King County District Court judge, who found probable cause to hold him on investigation of second-degree assault.
After making bail, Pulu must now abide by a court-ordered curfew, reside with his parents and abstain from using drugs or alcohol or possessing firearms, according to court paperwork. The judge ordered Pulu to avoid contact with the alleged victim and any witnesses.
The 2009 Federal Way grad was suspended from the football team on March 9 by head coach Steve Sarkisian, two days after the alleged incident. Sarkisian and the Husky athletic department have not commented on the issue.
According to a Seattle police report, obtained last week by the Mirror, the 22-year-old victim told an officer that he was at a party March 7 on 15th Avenue Northeast and saw a man in a verbal argument with another man. The victim attempted to break up the fight, telling the man, “It’s not that big of a deal.” The suspect then allegedly grabbed the man’s neck and told him, “It is that big of a deal,” according to the report.
The victim does not remember anything after this occurred, according to the report.
Witnesses told police the man was struck on the left side of his face and knocked to the ground. They also told police the attacker stomped on his right temple, causing him to lose consciousness, according to the report.
The victim said the attacker was a stranger, but he could identify him again, according to the report.
The police report said the victim suffered a broken nose and may have a fractured cheekbone. A Seattle Police officer noticed swelling on the left side of his face “and a boot print on his right temple.”
Pulu was one of 10 true freshmen who saw playing time last fall for Washington. He totaled just two tackles on the season, but his first was a shared sack against Idaho.
The 6-foot-1, 251-pounder also was a regular on the UW’s kick return teams and played in all 12 games. The Huskies are set to begin spring practice later this month.
Pulu was expected to contend for a starting job on the defensive line as a sophomore. The Huskies graduated Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Darrion Jones.
During his prep career, Pulu led Federal Way into the state playoffs for the first time since 1976 during his senior season.
He was named the South Puget Sound League North Division Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior, when he also earned first-team All-SPSL honors as an offensive lineman and middle linebacker despite missing the latter part of the season due to injury
Pulu was credited with 74 tackles as a sophomore and 62 as a junior at Federal Way.