Along with other police units, the officer responded to reports of an incident at the intersection of South 9th and Pacific Avenue in Tacoma around 6:20 p.m. Saturday night. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a number of vehicles and about 100 people blocking the intersection, which they began cleaning “for the safety of those who gathered and people who wanted to use the street,” the release.
The crowd then surrounded one of the police vehicles and according to the police started hitting the vehicle and its windows while the lights and sirens were activated. The officer in the SUV tried to back up, according to the statement, but could not succeed due to the crowd.
‘The officer was afraid for his safety,’ the statement said, ‘the officer drove forward and hit one person and possibly had an impact on others,’ while trying to get out of the ‘unsafe position’. Once the officer was ‘at a safe point’, police said he had sought medical help.
The officer was not identified in the police statement.
The Pierce County Force investigation team is investigating the incident, the statement said.
Crowd crashed into officer’s car
According to police, one person, whose condition is unknown, was taken to a local hospital. Haddow told The New Tribune one person sustained a laceration in 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 slowly move closer to the crowd gathered in front of the vehicle. An engine is heard spinning in the background and backing up the vehicle and then accelerating the crowd forward, knocking several people to the ground.
The vehicle slows down slightly and appears to bounce as you drive over something before driving through the intersection. It can be seen that the rear tires of the vehicle roll over someone lying in the street.
A second video shows a white car doing donuts in the middle of the intersection and driving just as police arrive on the scene, moments before the police vehicle is seen by the crowd.
In another video, the sound of an engine speed is followed by a series of storms and an individual shouting twice: ‘Damn, they hit a cop car.’ Moments later, an engine is heard spinning again and people disperse and start shouting, “Oh my God! Oh my God!” repeatedly. A few seconds later, a smaller crowd is seen around someone lying on the ground.
“I am concerned that our department is once again experiencing a deadly violent incident,” Mike Ake, interim police chief, said in the press release.
“I send my thoughts to anyone who was injured during the incident tonight and is committed to the full co – operation of our department in the independent investigation and to assessing the actions of the department’s response during the incident,” he said.
Elizabeth Pauli, manager of Tacoma City, told The News Tribune the officer will be placed on leave.
CNN’s Jennifer Feldman contributed to this report.