State troopers, Tacoma cop involved in capture of motorist who died in custody identified
Independent deadly force investigators released the names of five state troopers and a Tacoma police officer involved in the arrest of a motorist who reportedly brandished a knife and died after police used less-than-lethal weapons to subdue him nearly a month ago.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team released the following names Wednesday:
- Trooper Brian Paine
- Trooper Thurman Suddeth
- Trooper Travis Brodie
- Trooper Scott Madden
- Trooper Andrew Ikejeri
- Officer Justin Chohrach
PCFIT has not released how each officer was involved in the arrest of Ronald Hasek, 35, on Aug. 9 or the specific types of force they used to subdue him. Police radio recordings indicated officers fired a less-than-lethal bean bag round and shocked him with a Taser.
The Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet determined the cause of Hasek’s death or whether it was due to the actions of others. The office did not respond to The News Tribune’s request for additional information last week.
Chohrach has been a Tacoma police officer for 15 years, according to spokesperson Wendy Haddow. She told The News Tribune he was not on leave.
A Washington State Patrol spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for information about the state troopers involved.
A relative of Hasek told The News Tribune that Hasek had been partially cared for by family in Bonney Lake and struggled with mental illness, including schizophrenia, which he took medication for.
The Aug. 9 incident began when a state trooper tried to stop Hasek near the 3700 block of Pacific Avenue, according to PCFIT. Investigators said the man was driving a Ford truck and nearly struck a pedestrian and ran a red light.
The trooper believed the driver was severely impaired, and the vehicle continued to drive on sidewalks going about 40 mph. Hasek either jumped or was ejected from the truck as it turned onto 84th Street.
The vehicle crashed through a light pole and went into the wall of a gas station. Several troopers responded and reported the man was waving around a knife.
Investigators said the man didn’t respond to police commands, and less-than-lethal force was used to subdue and take him into custody.
Medical aid arrived to attend to Hasek, and within a few minutes, he stopped breathing, according to PCFIT. He died after more than 30 minutes of CPR.
