Weeks after pickup truck slammed into protester, Tacoma police still pursuing leads
While leaders from city and county government met with business people and citizens at the LeMay - America’s Car Museum last month to discuss crime and safety in Tacoma, a vehicular assault played out in front of dozens of witnesses outside.
A driver in a pickup truck accelerated toward a crowd of protesters gathered on the sidewalk around 6:10 p.m. Jan. 26 and struck 49-year-old Theresa Evans, who had joined the group just minutes earlier while on her way to a math tutoring appointment.
Three weeks later, Evans is recovering from pelvis surgery and working to regain strength in her legs at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The driver has not been identified as police continue to investigate.
“I don’t want people hurt who are going to protests,” Evans said. “I want protests to be peaceful and kind.”
Where the police investigation stands
There are plenty of witnesses to the assault and video of the vehicle hustling away from the scene, but none of it points to the identity of the person behind the wheel, police say.
Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Wendy Haddow said detectives know the license plate number of the pickup truck, but they have yet to recover it.
Asked if detectives had spoken with the registered owner, Haddow could only say that the investigation is ongoing.
Haddow said detectives need someone who can ID the driver, clear video that would ID the driver or some other evidence that would tie them to the time and location of the crime to make an arrest.
Detectives have spoken with witnesses, canvassed the area for video of the truck and followed up on every tip they’ve received since a bulletin was put out on the assault. That hasn’t led police to the vehicle that struck Evans, but Haddow said she still thinks there’s a good possibility police will be able to make an arrest.
She said detectives still have active leads they are following.
Heath Breneman, 47, was standing on the sidewalk talking to Evans when she was struck by the car. When she went to the ground, Breneman went to her side and held her with his knees against her back to try to keep her still.
Breneman reached out to the detective investigating the case and said he was told that unless he can ID the driver, there wasn’t much that could be done. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
“It’s inconceivable to me that they haven’t impounded the vehicle at least and questioned the driver,” he said.
“It made straight for us ...”
Speaking over the phone from her hospital bed, Evans struggled to recall the moments leading up to the assault. She hit her head when she was knocked to the ground and suffered a concussion along with an arterial bleed. Her head had to be stapled.
Evans lives on Tacoma’s Eastside with her husband and teenage son. She keeps up on local government decisions that affect the rights of people experiencing homelessness, and when she saw the protesters gathered outside the LeMay on Jan. 26 holding signs and banners in support of homeless people, she stopped to join.
“Before I had the chance of saying hello, that’s when I was hit,” Evans said. “I don’t remember anything after that.”
Breneman said Evans was there for less than two minutes before he heard the sound of an accelerating engine and saw headlights pointed directly at him.
“It made straight for us and crossed over out of the lane across the bike lane in order to line up and hit her without actually going up on the curb,” Breneman said. “It was precise driving.”
Evans said she was shocked by the assault, but she felt that something like it was going to happen. She isn’t sure what gave her that feeling, but she’d been avoiding going out as often lately because she didn’t want her or her family to get hurt.
She is likely not the only person feeling less safe in Tacoma. In 2021, the city saw about 17 percent more violent crimes than in 2020, according to an end of year crime report from TPD. Of the 5,242 violent crimes reported last year, 4,813 were assaults.
While she has been recovering, several people have delivered gifts to Evans, including a few books, a catalog of seeds (she’s an avid gardener) and some money to purchase some for her garden.
But the first thing on Evans’ mind when she looks forward to getting back on her feet isn’t tending to her garden, it’s speaking out about what happened.
“I’m going to have to be more and more specifically following what is going on in my city and in my county and in the state so that these things don’t happen as much, if I can help it,” Evans said. “I’m going to have to put my voice toward what wounded me, and say this isn’t something we want in our community.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
