Disturbance at Tacoma juvenile detention center draws police. Video circulates online
Tacoma police responded to a disturbance Monday at Remann Hall, Pierce County’s juvenile detention facility. A video of the incident, apparently made by someone detained at the center, was posted to at least one social media account.
The Juvenile Court at 5501 6th Ave. handles probation and detention, among other things.
“On Monday evening there was an incident inside one of our pods in Detention that escalated, with no injuries,” Pierce County Juvenile Court spokesperson Jinnie Horan told The News Tribune in an email Wednesday. “Tacoma Police were called in to support our Detention staff and together they were able to ensure the 5 young people were safely escorted into their individual rooms. Safety and security remains our top priority. We are carefully reviewing the incident so we can learn from it and make any necessary changes to policy or practice.”
Horan did not immediately respond when asked for additional information about what happened.
The News Tribune has requested the police report and 911 audio and also reached out to the Tacoma police spokesperson on duty, who was not immediately available.
A two-minute video posted to the @WAStateHomicide account on Twitter May 30 was captioned, “Inmates go Instagram Live during riot at Remann Hall in #Tacoma last night.”
The Twitter account’s bio says its purpose is “Tracking homicide cases throughout the State of Washington. This page is not affiliated with any police department in any way.”
The video is hard to follow.
It appears to be filmed and narrated by a young man who uses profane language and makes a profane gesture toward police officers or guards who are looking into the room through the window of a detention center door.
The video appears to show a disheveled room with furniture and other items possibly blocking the entrance, and pans to show a few other young people at times.
At one point, the narrator appears to call one of the officers or guards “ugly,” “bald” and asks: “What are you going to do?” The sound cuts out at times. Soon after the officer or guard appears to lean against the window and smile for a moment.
Meanwhile, someone who appears to be on the phone with the narrator says: “I’m on Live.”
Then the narrator says, “We’re going out there, though,” and the video shows someone smashing something that looks like a chair through a window.
Soon after the narrator appears to smile and, as if goofing around, says something that sounds like: “(expletive) it, we’re not going out. Never mind, never mind, never mind.”
Further information was not immediately available. Check back for updates.
