THE
THE POP
THE POP UP CLINIC TO HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST A DEADLY PANDEMIC.
WE START WITH BREAKING NEWS.
THIS IS THE SCENE IN TACOMA
TONIGHT.
SOMEBODY SET A FIRE IN THE
MIDDLE OF A STREET THAT'S NOT
VERY FAR AWAY FROM WHERE A
POLICE CRUISER RUN THROUGH A
CROWD OF PEOPLE LAST NIGHT.
WELL, THAT SCENE UNFOLDED JUST
A SHORT TIME AGO AND WE'RE
HEARING FROM TACOMA LEADERS AS
LAW ENFORCERS FROM OUTSIDE THE
CITY INVESTIGATE LAST HIGHITES
CHAOTIC EVENTS ARE TONY BLACK
IS LIVE IN TACOMA WITH NEW
DEVELOPMENTS TONY, GOOD EVENING
.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU, VANESSA.
WE ARE ACTUALLY RIGHT WHERE
THAT FIRE WAS HAPPENING WAS
HAPPENING JUST UP THE BLOCK
THERE.
THERE IS SOME TACOMA POLICE UP
THERE FROM THAT DEMONSTRATION
THAT WAS HAPPENING EARLIER.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE STILL
WAITING TO GET THE NAME OF THE
OFFICER WHO DROVE HIS CRUISER
THROUGH THAT CROWD OF PEOPLE
LAST NIGHT.
WE DO KNOW TONIGHT HE IS ON
PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AND
THE NEAR 30 YEAR VETERAN OF THE
DEPARTMENT.
BUT CITY LEADERS SAY WHAT
HAPPENED HERE LAST NIGHT WAS
UNACCEPTABLE FOR YOU COMMITTED
TO REGARDLESS OF HOW THAT
INVESTIGATION TURNS OUT
ENSURING THAT THE OFFICER IS
HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR DRIVING
HIS VEHICLE OVER A CROWD
OF PEOPLE.
ABSOLUTELY.
MAYOR VICTORIA WOODARDS SAID
SHE, LIKE MANY SAW THE VIDEOS
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT TACOMA POLICE CRUISER
DRIVING OVER AND THROUGH A
CROWD OF PEOPLE SATURDAY NIGHT.
PERSONALLY MY HEART BROKE.
I SEE A LOT TWO PEOPLE WERE
HURT AND WITNESSES SAY THAT
EMOTIONALLY IMPACTED BY WHAT
HAPPENED.
TACOMA POLICE CONFIRMED THE
TWENTY NINE YEAR VETERAN THE
FORCE IS ON PAID ADMINISTRATIVE
LEAVE WHILE AN INVESTIGATION IS
UNDERWAY.
VIDEO SHOWED THE MOMENTS THAT
LED UP TO THIS.
THEY SHOW PEOPLE BANGING ON THE
OFFICER'S CAR.
HE APPEARS TO BACK UP A LITTLE
AND THEN SURGES FORWARD.
IT'S HARD TO TELL EXACTLY HOW
MANY PEOPLE WERE HIT IN THE
CROWD IN THE RELEASE.
TACOMA POLICE SAID THE OFFICER
FEARED FOR HIS SAFETY AND HAD
NO OTHER WAY TO GET OUT.
VIDEO SHOW THERE WAS SOME
SPACE.
THE RELEASE IS DEPICTION
OF EVENTS WAS WIDELY PANNED
ONLINE SOMETHING CITY MANAGER
ELIZABETH PAWLEY SAYS SHE
UNDERSTOOD.
NOTHING IN THAT REPORT WAS
INTENDED TO BE OTHER THAN THE
FACTS THAT WE HAD THE KNOWABLE
FACTS THAT WE HAD AT THE TIME
NOT INTENDED TO BE
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR FOR THE
EVENT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR
FORM.
AUTHORITIES HAVEN'T RELEASED
THE OFFICER'S NAME AS OF SUNDAY
NIGHT, BUT CITY OFFICIALS ARE
ON RECORD SAYING THEY WILL NOT
LET THIS GO UNRESOLVED.
AS FAR AS THE OFFICER'S ACTIONS
ARE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THROUGH
THE CROWD, YOU GUYS CONDONE
THAT ACTION.
YOU CONDEMN THEIR ACTIONS.
WE NEED TO ALWAYS BE LOOKING AT
WAYS TO PROVIDE SERVICES
WITHOUT CAUSING HARM AND AND
THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THAT
VEHICLE STRUCK A PERSON AND MAY
HAVE STRUCK MORE THAN ONE
INDIVIDUAL AND WE NEED TO LEARN
WE LEARNED WHAT AND WHY WHAT
HAPPENED AND WHY NOW TOMORROW
TACOMA POLICE WILL BE HAVING AN
ONLINE MEETING TO DISCUSS MORE
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY
AND THAT'LL BE THE INFORMATION
THAT YOU NEED TO HEAR ABOUT
THAT IS ON MY TWITTER ACCOUNT.
ALSO TONIGHT, POLICE WERE
TELLING PEOPLE TO USE AN
ALTERNATE ROUTE BECAUSE
OF THESE DEMONSTRATIONS.
I MENTIONED EARLIER HAPPENING
AROUND SOUTH 9TH AND COMMERCE
STREET.
WE HAVE BEEN HEARING SOME
REPORTS OF VANDALISM ALSO
HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE AREA
BUT THAT IS THE LATEST
INFORMATION FOR NOW AS FAR AS
THE INVESTIGATION ON THIS
OFFICER TONY BLACK KING5 NEWS.
TONY, THANK YOU SO MUCH KING5
LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST COMING
BEST IS WEIGHING IN ON LAST
NIGHT'S INCIDENT IN TACOMA AND
WE ASKED IF THERE WAS A
POSSIBILITY FOR THE OFFICER
INVOLVED TO BE CHARGED.
WELL, NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE
IF IT'S FOUND THAT THIS IS AN
INTENTIONAL DELIBERATE ACT OR
EVEN A NEGLIGENT ACT, THERE'S
ALWAYS THE POTENTIAL FOR
CHARGES.
YOU KNOW, I'M CONFIDENT THAT
THE PIERCE COUNTY PERSON THAT'S
THE CASE BOTH INVESTIGATIONS
TEAM THAT IS WE'LL DO A VERY
THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION ABOUT
WHAT LED TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
THERE'LL BE A REVIEW OF THE
OFFICER'S ACTIONS AND WHAT LED
THE OFFICER TO PILE INTO THE
CROWD THE WAY THAT HE DID AND
THEN TURN TO THE PROSECUTORS
AND THEY'LL DECIDE IF IN FACT
THERE'S A LAW