(Washington) Local officials said that a US police officer wounded at least one person with his car while trying to escape from a crowd that had intercepted his car in Washington state.
About 100 people and several cars gathered, according to local media, in an illegal car rally crossing a crossroads between two roads on Saturday evening in the northwestern city of Tacoma.
When an officer in his car tried to disperse the crowd, some started hitting his car and its windows, according to a Tacoma police statement.
PHOTO TED S. WARREN, Associated Press
The police said: “While trying to get out of a dangerous situation, the police officer advanced forward, touching a person and possibly affecting others,” explaining that a person was taken to the hospital. But without disclosing his condition.
“I don’t know if he panicked but his car was surrounded” by the crowd, Sarah Jones testified on CBS. She said, “I turned my back for a second, and when I turned again, I saw the police car driving over a mountain of people.”
The use of force by police is a particularly sensitive topic in the United States, where a historic movement to protest racism and police brutality emerged after the death of George Floyd in May 2020.