A policeman from Tacoma, Washington, apparently drove his car through a crowd on Saturday night, sending at least one person to the hospital, officials said. The incident was captured on video widely shared on social media.
The protesters later met at the intersection where it happened, CBS affiliate Seattle KIRO-TV reported.
“I was shocked, I was shaken, I was confused, I was afraid. This policeman simply ran over this group of people and fled the scene, ”a woman at the scene told KIRO-TV. “I want justice for people who have just been hurt.”
According to the police, the police were responding to street runners around 6:20 pm. There was a crowd of approximately 100 people at the site when they arrived. The police were clearing the intersection of people and a police vehicle was reportedly surrounded by the crowd.
“People hit the body of the police vehicle and its windows when the policeman was stopped on the street,” said Tacoma police. “The officer, fearing for his safety, tried to retreat, but failed because of the crowd.”
The video posted on Twitter showed a person under a police SUV as he drove away. Other videos posted on Twitter showed a car making donuts before the police arrived. After the authorities showed up, a police vehicle appeared to address the crowd and topple several people before leaving.
At least one person was transported to a nearby hospital. The condition of that person is unknown.
“People were playing with the cops, yelling at the cops, yelling at the cops, and then the car backed up and drove at full speed towards the crowd,” Cory Le, who filmed one of the videos, told Reuters.
The Tacoma Police Department passed the investigation on to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, according to KIRO-TV.
Interim police chief Mike Ake said in a statement that he was “concerned that our department was experiencing another incident of the use of lethal force”.