SEATTLE — Seattle police have confirmed that an officer is being investigated by the Office of Police Accountability for slashing a tire at a protest on the waterfront last month.
In a video given to KING 5 by the U.S. Progressive Student Union, an officer is seen running up to a minivan that was beginning to drive forward. The student union edited the video to include a red arrow pointing toward the officer in question. The officer then uses a device to slash the rear tire.
The Seattle police policy manual specifies that “officers may not use any tire deflation device on a moving vehicle.”
The protest, which took place on Feb. 9, was a rally calling for an end to U.S. support of Israel and a ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed over 30,000 Palestinians. The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas in which around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed by gunmen.
Police who responded to the protest near the World Trade Center Seattle on Alaskan Way said pedestrians and vehicles were blocking access to a parking lot and parking garage, preventing others from entering and exiting the location. Police said they provided multiple warnings to the protesters to move their vehicles.
The Seattle Police Department said one vehicle was towed and another drove away “despite having tires flattened by an approved tire deflation device.” However, the video shows that the car was already in motion when an officer flattened the tire. After the protest, there were calls by protesters for an investigation into the actions of the officer who popped the tire.
Seattle police say they arrested four people for pedestrian interference, obstruction and assault at the protest.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said although one person made an initial appearance on an assault charge, the office has not been forwarded any of those cases for a formal charging decision. A spokesperson said one case has been sent to the Seattle City Attorney's Office for a potential misdemeanor charge.