The officer was not identified in the police statement.
Some of the protesters blocked streets on Sunday night with signs and traffic cones near the place where the incident took place. Others overturned trash cans and set the contents on fire, while some windows of cars and buildings shattered. Officials are still assessing the damage, Haddow said in an email to CNN.
According to Haddow, employees of South Sound 911 Records had to be evacuated from their building after the windows broke on Sunday night.
No arrests were made during the protest, but two people were arrested which led to it, Haddow said.
Officer drove through the crowd after being surrounded, police said
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.
“He was afraid they would break his glass,” she said, asking him to drive away from the scene, the News Tribune reported.
Lights and sirens were activated as the crowd continued to surround the vehicle, the release said. The officer in the SUV tried to back up, but according to the release, it was unable due to the crowd.
‘Out of fear for his safety,’ the release said, ‘the officer drove forward and hit one individual and possibly had an impact on others,’ while trying to get out of the ‘unsafe position’. Once the officer was ‘at a safe point’, he asked for medical help.
The News Tribune reported that one person sustained a tear in the collision and was transported to a local hospital.
Videos show officer driving through crowd
In at least one graphic video of the incident circulated on social media, the police vehicle with lights and sirens on can be seen moving closer to the crowd in front of the vehicle.
An engine is heard spinning in the background and backing up the vehicle before accelerating forward in the crowd and several people fall to the ground.
The vehicle then slows down slightly, as it appears to bounce as you drive over something, before driving through the intersection. The rear tires of the vehicle can be seen rolling over someone lying in the street.
A second video shot at the scene shows a white car doing donuts in the middle of the intersection and driving just as officers arrived, moments before the police vehicle was seen driving through 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.
Mayor wants those involved to be held accountable
“As use of lethal force, this incident is taken very seriously and the scene was appropriately handed over to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team for independent investigation,” the mayor said.
“While we wait for more information, I want the community to know that I am deeply concerned and pray for all those affected by last night’s events,” Woodards said. “I remain proud of Tacoma’s years of reputation as a place of strong, non-violent advocacy and activism.”
The mayor called on the city manager and police chief to hold everyone involved in the incident responsible.
Elizabeth Pauli, manager of Tacoma City, told CNN subsidiary KING on Sunday that videos she watched of the incident were “awful”.
“I was horrified, the videos are very difficult to watch,” Pauli said. “I feel worried about the person who was assaulted. I feel worried about those who saw the event. I feel worried about our officials involved.”
Interim police chief Mike Ake said in a press release: “I am concerned that our department is experiencing a different use of deadly violence.”
“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,” Ake said.
CNN’s Carma Hassan, Claudia Dominguez and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.