6 people were hit by Tacoma officer who drove through crowd watching street racers
Investigators looking into a Tacoma police officer who drove through a crowd gathered to watch street racers say six people were hit by the patrol vehicle.
Immediately after the Jan. 23 incident at South 9th Street and Pacific Avenue, police said two 21-year-old men were struck and injured.
On Friday, they said six people were hit by officer Khanh Phan’s patrol SUV. Three have been identified by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, and detectives said they are trying to speak with the other three.
“We want to assure the community that we are conducting a thorough independent investigation of the incident and inform you that this investigation will likely take several more weeks to complete,” Puyallup police Capt. Dan Pashon said in a written statement.
Investigators said they received 33 tips about the incident and are trying to reach another 23 people “who called in to report the incident or were mentioned in police reports.”
Details of who the people are or why they were mentioned in police reports were not released.
The team also canvassed the downtown neighborhood looking for additional witnesses or video footage.
Several cell phone videos have surfaced online showing Phan, who was alone in the vehicle, back up a few feet and rev the engine. The patrol SUV then surged forward, striking a group that had gathered around his vehicle. At least one person was run over and hospitalized with injuries.
Phan then continued driving forward and stopped before calling for medical aid.
The officer feared for his safety because people were banging on the patrol vehicle and yelling, and he did not believe he could back up, police have said.
Investigators have not said whether Phan called for help on the radio before driving into the throng of people.
Phan, 58, has been with the Police Department nearly 30 years and is on paid administrative leave during the investigation.
About 100 people were gathered downtown to watch the sideshow that night, which included a few cars doing doughnuts in the intersection and blocking streets.
The night after Phan drove through a crowd, a large group of protesters marched downtown. Some broke out windows on three buildings, including the County-City Building.
City leaders have said they’re concerned with what they saw Phan do on video clips but are awaiting results from the investigation before calling for specific action.
“We are troubled by the actions of the Tacoma Police officer involved. We are also concerned by what we have heard about street racing, destruction of public property, and the businesses that experienced property damage,” the City Council said in a joint statement. “The events that transpired this weekend certainly do not reflect what we jointly envision and hope for Tacoma’s future.”
Tacoma Police Union Local 6 put out a statement defending Phan and saying he “is not a racist criminal. He is a human and a dedicated public servant who reacted to a violent mob trying to do him harm.”
Authorities say street racing in the South Sound is on the rise and participants have been recently escalating their behavior by throwing glass bottles at deputies and not dispersing when law enforcement officers arrive on scene.
In Tacoma, 20 street-racing complaints were called in during January 2020. In January 2021, there have been 65 street-racing complaints, according to the Police Department.
Anyone who witnessed Phan drive through the crowd or has video evidence is asked to call the Puyallup Police Department’s tip line at 253-770-3343.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 1:31 PM.
