Ice cream truck driver hit by hit-and-run driver, ejected, Tacoma police say

An ice cream truck driver was ejected Wednesday night after being struck by a hit-and-run driver who ran a red light in Tacoma’s South End, officials say.

The crash happened about 6:45 p.m. at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 84th Street, police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said.

The ice cream truck was going north on Pacific Avenue when it was hit by an eastbound cargo van, Cool said. The ice cream truck driver, a man in his 60s, was ejected from his three-wheeled vehicle and struck the van.

He was taken to a Tacoma hospital with critical injuries, said Chris Brink, a Tacoma Fire Department battalion chief.

The cargo van fled the scene, but bystanders stopped him nearby and detained him until police could arrive, Cool said. The man, who is in his mid-30s, has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault.

The crash closed the intersection for about an hour.

This story was originally published July 18, 2018 at 7:58 PM.