Shocking video footage posted on social media on Saturday night shows a police vehicle from Tacoma, Washington, crashing into a group of pedestrians.
At least two pedestrians were hospitalized as a result of the incident, the Pierce County Force Investigation Team (PCFIT) told reporters at a late night press conference, according to Seattle’s KOMO-TV.
The police department handed the investigation over to PCFIT.
One of the patients was released, KOMO reported. The condition of the patient who remained in the hospital was “unknown” at midnight on Sunday PT.
Police responded to the area with reports of drivers at street races and performing “burnouts” and “donuts”, attracting viewers, the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement to Fox News.
About 100 spectators and several vehicles were blocking an intersection in the city center, the department said.
When the police car arrived, members of the crowd crowded around the vehicle, hitting it and appearing to threaten the police – prompting the police to try to break free.
He had used the cruiser’s megaphone to address the crowd, reported the Tacoma News Tribune.
“The policeman, fearing for his safety, tried to retreat, but it was not possible because of the crowd,” the statement said, adding that the policeman’s lights and siren were on when he advanced, with members of the crowd falling to the side or running out of the vehicle’s path.
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
“He feared that his glass would be broken,” Tacoma police spokeswoman Wendy Haddow said, according to the News Tribune.
The officer behind the wheel stopped the car when it was safe and asked for medical help, the statement added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“I am concerned that our department is experiencing another incident of the use of deadly force,” Tacoma acting police chief Mike Ake said in a statement. “I send my ideas to anyone who was injured at tonight’s event and I am committed to our Department’s full cooperation in the independent investigation and in evaluating the department’s response actions during the incident.”
The officer will be put on leave during the investigation, Tacoma city manager Elizabeth Pauli told The News Tribune.
It was not immediately clear whether the policeman or any of the pedestrians involved in the alleged street race would face charges – although the video posted by a Tacoma News Tribune reporter appeared to show members of the crowd being handcuffed.
A group of protesters gathered at the scene after the incident, according to a Q13 FOX reporter.