Video: Traffic officer subdued in alleged bribery and assault incident

A video has surfaced showing a Paraguayan traffic police officer engaged in a physical altercation with a citizen who was filming him. The incident occurred on July 31st at the Rodrigo Quintana Viaduct, when Dario De Jesús Bogado Villalba was stopped with his motorcycle by traffic police.

Bogado alleges that the officer, identified as Anicio Argüello, became aggressive when he began filming, demanding a bribe and refusing to show his identification. The video appears to show Argüello attempting to take Bogado's phone. In response, Bogado's companion, Axel Daniel González Martínez, subdued the officer using a mixed martial arts technique, commonly known as a "mataleón" or rear-naked chokehold, until national police arrived to separate them.

Adding to the complexity, the police report states Bogado did not have the required vehicle registration (cédula verde) for his motorcycle. The traffic officer, Argüello, reportedly claimed Bogado bit his hand during the struggle. Bogado, however, maintains that the officers demanded a bribe of G. 900,000, and that his motorcycle would only be returned via the prosecutor's office after the incident.

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As the traffic officer got out and got angry and started challenging us, I asked for his name, and you can see very clearly that he doesn't have his name tag, and then he tried to take my cell phone, and I struggled with him so he wouldn't take it.