Investigation complete into Tacoma officer who ran over 6 at street-racing event
The investigation into a Tacoma police officer who drove through a crowd and struck six pedestrians has been completed.
On Wednesday, the Pierce County Force Investigation Team turned over the case to the Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether officer Khanh Phan was justified in his actions or if he should face criminal charges.
The review typically takes about six months.
Phan was one of several officers who responded Jan. 23 to reports of street racers blocking a downtown intersection. Investigators say about 100 people gathered that night at South 9th Street and Pacific Avenue to watch a sideshow where a few cars were doing doughnuts and drifting close to bystanders.
Several cellphone videos captured Phan back up a few feet and rev the engine at the crowd he was trying to drive through. The patrol SUV then surged forward, striking six people in the group.
Phan continued driving forward through the crowd before stopping to call for medical aid.
He feared for his safety because people were banging on the patrol vehicle and yelling, Tacoma police have said. Phan said he did not believe he could back up.
Two men, both 21, were taken to local hospitals with injuries.
Six pedestrians claimed they were hit by the patrol car, and five said they were injured. Investigators could only verify four were at the scene, Puyallup police Capt. Ryan Portmann said. Two declined to cooperate with the Pierce Force Investigation Team.
Detectives interviewed more than 80 people, more than 24 of whom directly witnessed the incident.
Phan, 58, was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. He is expected to remain on leave until prosecutors finish their review. Tacoma police will then conduct an internal investigation into whether the officer violated any department policies or procedures.
He has been with the police department nearly 30 years and is eligible to retire. Police officials said Thursday they could not say when Phan plans to retire.
Tacoma Police Local 6 has defended Phan, saying, “He is a human and a dedicated public servant who reacted to a violent mob trying to do him harm.”
Phan’s son, Andrew, wrote a piece for The Stranger blaming law enforcement culture that he says trivializes violence and encourages officers to justify their behavior when force is used.
“Everyone can relate to the drive to survive, but, from my vantage, police take advantage of this shared instinct. They spin it into a victim narrative where everyone is out to get them. For the police, the world is a place with dangers lurking around every corner. If they let down their guard even for a moment, they think they’ll be killed,” Andrew Phan wrote.
City leaders have expressed concern about Phan’s behavior caught on video but said they will await the investigation’s findings before deciding what to do.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 2:21 PM.
