Victim wants accountability over Tacoma Police Department’s cruiser incident
Protests continue after Tacoma police officer runs through crowd
A video went viral showing a Tacoma police officer running through a crowd that was gathered for street racing. The officer was surrounded by attendees.
TACOMA - A man who says he was injured when a Tacoma Police Department officer plowed his patrol car through a crowd Saturday night is speaking out about the incident.
The 58-year-old officer involved has worked for the department for nearly 30 years. Khan Phan, identified by the department, has been placed on administrative leave while the use of force is investigated by an outside agency.
The dramatic scene spurred protests both Saturday and Sunday night. Vandalism could be found in multiple locations across Downtown Tacoma afterward. City crews were still cleaning up broken glass Monday morning.
Tacoma police said an officer responded to a report of erratic driving Saturday night, and was soon surrounded by bystanders. Investigators said the officer felt worried for his safety and ended up gassing his squad car through the crowd injuring at least two.
"He did the right thing," said Michelle Moran, who works in Tacoma and watched crews clean the damage. "I’m sorry, but he did. I would do it, too."
The City Council and Community Police Advisory Committee held special meetings Monday to gather detail about the weekend’s events.
Williams hired an attorney to gauge his next steps forward after the incident.
"That police officer wasn’t a police officer, they weren’t thinking as a police officer, that’s what we pay them guys to be," Williams said.
Because this is considered use of deadly force, the Pierce County Investigation Team is taking lead on the incident.
The Puyallup Police Department is the one doing the investigation. Captain Dan Pashon provided updates late into the evening on the investigation.