An American police officer ran over several people last Saturday in the city of Tacoma, located in Washington state. According to local authorities, the 58-year-old man was trying to escape a crowd who was blocking his vehicle.
The respondent was originally trying to disperse a crowd attending an illegal car rally. According to local media, the rally brought together around 100 people and obstructed traffic at a crossroads between two roads.
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Some participants then started hitting the vehicle where the 50-year-old was installed. “While trying to extricate himself from a dangerous situation, the officer drove by , hitting one individual and possibly impacting others,” Tacoma police said in a statement.
“I don’t know if he panicked, but his car was surrounded,” a local woman told CBS television. “I turned my back for a second and when I turned around again I saw the police car driving over a mountain of people,” she continued.
Administrative leave
The injured person was hospitalized but his state of health was not revealed by the police. The latter said Sunday in a new statement that the police officer concerned has been practicing his profession for nearly 30 years. He was placed on administrative leave.
The use of force by the police is a particularly sensitive subject in the United States , where a historic protest movement against racism and police brutality had arisen in particular after the death of George Floyd in May 2020. A demonstration had also taken place. held Sunday night in Tacoma.