Along with other police units, the officer was responding to reports of an incident at the intersection of South 9th and Pacific Avenue in Tacoma on Saturday night around 6:20 pm, the statement said. Once at the scene, police found several vehicles and about 100 people blocking the intersection, which they began to clean “for the safety of the assembled and the people trying to use the street,” the statement said.
The crowd then surrounded one of the police vehicles and began hitting the vehicle and its windows as its lights and sirens went on, police said. The policeman inside the SUV tried to back off, according to the statement, but failed because of the crowd.
“Fearing for his safety,” the statement said, “the officer went forward striking one individual and may have impacted others”, while trying to get out of the “unsafe position”. Since the policeman was “in a safe spot”, the police said he asked for medical help.
The police officer was not identified in the police statement.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating the incident, the statement said.
Crowd hit the officer’s car
A person of unknown condition was taken to a local hospital after the incident, police said. Haddow told The New Tribune that a person suffered a laceration from the collision and was transported to a local hospital, the newspaper reported.
In at least one graphic video of the incident circulating on social media, the police vehicle, with lights and sirens on, can be seen slowly approaching the crowd gathered in front of the vehicle. An engine is heard spinning in the background and the vehicle reverses and then accelerates through the crowd, knocking several people to the ground.
The vehicle slows down a bit and seems to bounce when passing over something before continuing through the intersection. The vehicle’s rear tires can be seen rolling over someone lying on the street.
A second video shows a white car making donuts in the middle of the intersection and leaving as soon as the police arrive, just before the police vehicle is seen passing through the crowd.
In another video, the sound of a spinning engine is followed by a series of thuds and an individual exclaiming twice: “Damn, they’re hitting a police car”. Moments later, an engine is heard spinning again and people fan out and start shouting, “Oh my God! Oh my God!” repeatedly. A few seconds later, a smaller crowd is seen forming around what appears to be someone lying on the floor.
“I am concerned that our department is experiencing another incident of the use of lethal force,” Tacoma acting police chief Mike Ake said in the press release.
“I send my thoughts to all the injured at tonight’s event and I am committed to our department’s full cooperation in independent investigation and in evaluating the actions of the department’s response during the incident,” he said.
Tacoma city manager Elizabeth Pauli told The News Tribune that the officer will be placed on leave.
Jennifer Feldman of CNN contributed to this report.