Calls for investigation after Sheriff Troyer confronts Black man driving in neighborhood
Barely two months into his new job, Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer confronted a Black man driving in his Tacoma neighborhood and called 911 to report the man threatened to kill him.
It turned out the man, 24-year-old Sedrick Altheimer, was delivering newspapers on his regular route.
At least three times in a nearly five-minute call with dispatchers Jan. 27, Troyer said he was threatened by the newspaper carrier. Interviewed by police on the night of the incident, Altheimer denied making any threats. Troyer also spoke to police the same night and said Altheimer did not threaten him, contradicting statements in the 911 call, according to a police report.
Troyer’s allegation of the threat prompted an urgent signal to all local law enforcement, sending 42 officers, deputies and troopers rushing to the scene. Nearly all were called off after the first Tacoma officers arrived.
The incident, first reported by The Seattle Times, has sparked criticism of Troyer, who told police he followed Altheimer’s car about 2:15 a.m. after noticing it driving in and out of neighboring driveways, behavior he found suspicious.
On Friday, the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance called for an investigation into the sheriff’s actions and demanded he be suspended.
“Ed Troyer should have been arrested for making a false report,” the Alliance wrote in a letter to the Pierce County Council, Executive Bruce Dammeier and undersheriff Brent Bomkamp. “He has violated the policies of the department and the county. He has abused the public trust, and abused, misused and weaponized his standing in law enforcement to harm Black and Brown Lives. His actions are unacceptable, his harms irreparable.”
The position of sheriff is elected and thus not under control of the County Council or County Executive.
Troyer, elected sheriff in November after serving as the agency’s media spokesperson for nearly two decades, said he does not believe he acted inappropriately and will not resign.
In a statement Friday, the County Council said it is “concerned about what occurred and is eager to learn more about the circumstances of that night.”
Chairman Derek Young said the council would discuss options for looking into the incident at Monday’s study session. Young also said he listened to the 911 call and it must have been terrifying for Altheimer.
“I kept thinking what I would feel if that were me,” Young said.
In an interview with The News Tribune, Troyer, who is white, denied racially profiling Altheimer and said he never retracted his allegation that Altheimer threatened “to take me out.” Rather, Troyer said, he told officers he didn’t want to do anything about the threat.
He said he did not know the gender or race of the carrier when he went to see what was going on, and found the behavior suspicious because there had been recent thefts in the neighborhood.
Altheimer could not be reached for comment Friday.
Dan Schaub is the senior director of Audience Development for McClatchy, The News Tribune’s parent company. Schaub said Friday the company was not notified of the confrontation between Altheimer and Troyer until Friday.
“Unfortunately this is the first we’re hearing of the noted incident,” Schaub said. “We are reaching out to our distributor to learn more about what had taken place.”
Altheimer’s employer, Darin Steiner, said the carrier is reliable and a hard worker, and he’s never received any complaints about him over the last several years Altheimer has worked as an independent contractor delivering newspapers like The News Tribune, Seattle Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Steiner, owner of Steiner Distribution, said it’s not uncommon for newspaper carriers to appear suspicious since they’re out at odd hours, driving slowly and often stopping by mailboxes or near homes.
“As a homeowner, if I saw that and didn’t have any context, I would be alarmed,” Steiner said. “I can understand why a person would confront somebody. What I don’t understand is why somebody would follow you through a neighborhood.”
He said if Troyer had identified himself as sheriff and Altheimer had identified himself as a newspaper carrier, “it probably would have been absolutely nothing.”
Troyer said he did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer because he was not in uniform, carrying a gun or driving a department-issued vehicle. He said he went to get Altheimer’s license plate because he was suspicious of the car driving in and out of driveways.
“All he had to do was say I’m out delivering newspapers, and it would have been over,” Troyer said Friday.
Altheimer “ranted that he did not feel like he needed to answer Troyer’s questions ...,” according to a police report written by Tacoma officer Chad Lawless.
Altheimer told the Seattle Times he delivers newspapers in the West End neighborhood six nights a week and that’s what he was doing Jan. 27 when he noticed a white SUV following him.
“I continue what I’m doing, because, you know, I’m working. I’m not doing any harm to the neighborhood. I work here every night,” Altheimer told the Times.
Troyer told The News Tribune he was watching TV in bed when he noticed headlights and got in his personal vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe, to see what was going on. He said he didn’t initially call police because he only wanted to jot down the license plate and didn’t expect to find the car.
In the 911 call, Troyer tells dispatchers the man “was in my neighbors’ houses and climbing all over,” and that he suspected the man might have a garage door opener because he was driving in and out of driveways.
Fed up with being tracked, Altheimer walked to Troyer’s SUV to ask why he was being followed and if he was being targeted because he was a Black man driving an older Geo Prizm.
“That’s the crazy thing. I never did threaten him. I was just asking questions, like, ‘Are you a cop?’” Altheimer told the Times.
He said Troyer looked familiar but he didn’t recognize him. The police report says Altheimer “acknowledged that he knew who Troyer was,” and Troyer said Altheimer called him “Mr. Sheriff Man” during their encounter.
Toward the end of the incident, Altheimer and Troyer sat in their vehicles facing each other about 50 feet apart at North 27th Street and Deidra Circle. That’s where they were when police arrived.
“Altheimer was upset and shouted at officers as we made contact with him,” according to the police report. “He ranted, ‘I’m a Black man in a white neighborhood’ and he commented on the number of officers that arrived on the scene.”
Altheimer told the Times he was afraid for his life, especially after one officer drew a gun.
There’s no mention of an officer drawing a gun in the police report, and Troyer says he did not see that.
“They definitely scared me. I was really shocked,” Altheimer told the Times.
“I’m yelling, ‘What are you guys here for? What am I doing wrong? You guys are trying to arrest a paper carrier!’” Altheimer said. “These police officers just wasted a gallon of gas speeding over here — for what? I’m giving the people the news and I’m going home. I’ve got five kids.”
Police frisked Altheimer for weapons, and he gave permission for officers to search his car. A bunch of newspapers were found in the back seat, records say.
After speaking with a Tacoma police sergeant and Troyer, Lawless let Altheimer go so he could continue his route.
A sheriff’s sergeant offered to place a patrol car in front of Troyer’s house “for his safety” but Troyer declined, the police report said.
Troyer said he only saw Altheimer twice more after that night’s encounter. It was the next two nights when Altheimer tossed a copy of The News Tribune on the sheriff’s driveway.
“He didn’t subscribe, but I wanted him to. I said, hey, come join my business, so you know I’m a trustworthy man of your neighborhood,” Altheimer told the Times.
This isn’t the first time Troyer has faced backlash from the community.
Tacoma Action Collective, Manuel Ellis’ family and other people called on Troyer to resign last year after details of Ellis’ death became public.
Ellis was a Black man killed while being restrained by Tacoma police officers March 3, 2020. Activists spoke out against Troyer, whose agency initially investigated the death, after he said Ellis was suffering from excited delirium and was the aggressor in the incident.
Troyer released a statement Friday afternoon regarding the incident with Altheimer:
“As the elected Sheriff, I am committed to policing that is transparent, accountable to its citizens, and administered free of racial bias. These are the standards I hold myself and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department to. My actions were consistent with these standards. I stand by my original recorded statement to dispatch, where I reported that there were verbal threats made. Due to the nature of the call, the Tacoma Police Department investigated the matter and concluded the inquiry without incident and I invite further inquiry into the matter. I am saddened to learn that Mr. Altheimer felt he was treated in an unfair manner. I am committed to continuing the ongoing dialogue with our community to ensure that policing in Pierce County is free of racial bias and performed in a manner that upholds the public trust.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 4:36 PM.
