A police officer drove his police SUV into a crowd in Tacoma, Washington on Saturday night. The horrifying incident was caught on video.
About 100 people were in the street while blocking the intersection, and police were called to the scene.
The people proceed to crowd around one of the police SUV, kicking the vehicle and pounding the windows.
Tacoma Police Department said in a press release statement the police officer tried to back his vehicle out of the crowd but was unable to do so, thus fearing for his safety.
"While trying to extricate himself from an unsafe position, the officer drove forward striking one individual and may have impacted others. The officer stopped at a point of safety and called for medical aid," said Tacoma Police Department. "One person was transported to an area hospital. That person’s condition is, at this time, unknown."
In order to become a Tacoma police officer, according to the city of Tacoma's official website, an applicant must first meet the qualifications to apply, pass the examination process which includes a personal history questionnaire, a Physical Ability Test (PAT), and a written examination. Candidates must successfully complete an oral interview, and pass a background check and final examinations.
After navigating the Tacoma police department’s hiring process, training begins with an initial month of pre-academy training. This is followed by academy training which lasts five months. Then, there are two months of post-academy training, and finally concluding training with recruit training with a patrol training officer lasting four months.
Based on the thorough process of becoming a police officer, the officer involved in Saturday's incident should have had a wider range of skills and options to resolve the issue.
Police officers in general should not be allowed to continue using the excuse of "fearing for their lives" to justify their actions in a given situation. Police officers know the risk associated with their profession, so "fear" is insufficient to dismiss their unethical behaviors.
Here's what some people had to say about Saturday's events.