Tacoma motorist’s death following state patrol arrest in August ruled an accident
A motorist’s death in Washington State Patrol custody in Tacoma in August was the result of an accidental drug overdose, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Tuesday, officials disclosed that Hasek died of acute methamphetamine intoxication and ruled his death an accident. Hasek’s family previously told The News Tribune he struggled with mental illness.
As a result, the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, which oversees deadly force probes in the region, closed its investigation of Hasek’s death. Heart disease and obesity were listed as contributing factors in the medical examiner’s report, according to a PCFIT news release.
Last month, PCFIT released the names of the officers involved in Hasek’s death: state troopers Brian Paine, Thurman Suddeth, Travis Brodie, Scott Madden and Andrew Ikejeri, as well as Tacoma police officer Justin Chohrach.
“The PCFIT investigation into this incident revealed that no use of deadly force was used by any of the responding officers,” according to a news release.
The incident began when a state trooper tried to stop Hasek for traffic violations near the 3700 block of Pacific Avenue, according to officials. He nearly struck a pedestrian and police believed he was impaired.
At 84th Street, Hasek either jumped or was ejected from his truck, which then ran into a light pole and a gas station, according to officials. Officers said he brandished a knife and did not comply with commands.
Dispatch recordings indicated officers fired a bean bag round at Hasek and shocked him with a Taser.
Once in custody, Hasek stopped breathing and died after more than 30 minutes of CPR, according to officials.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 11:13 AM.
