TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police said they arrested four people after drivers were caught doing donuts during a local “take-over” at a busy intersection.
KIRO 7 News received video from a viewer capturing the disruption in Tacoma on East Fairbanks Street and Portland Avenue East Sunday night.
Dozens of people are seen standing around the intersection blocking traffic as drivers are doing donuts.
Nick Winter, who was driving his tow truck that night, said he was concerned about people’s safety, especially after he witnessed the aftermath of a child who was hit and killed by a drunk driver last year.
“I think the people involved in that should be held responsible,” he said. “Within a 20-minute timeframe, that all spiked up right there. There was probably a good 20 cars involved in last night’s activity.”
“What if there’s a child here, and now you just killed a child because you want to be reckless and you think it’s fun,” he added.
Tacoma police told KIRO 7 News that four people were arrested for various offenses, however, they did not share further details.
A spokesperson said officers use their own judgement and consider several factors on when to pursue a suspect, including the nature of the crime, the public’s safety and the need to arrest the suspect.
“We would employ other investigative tools to apprehend suspects committing offenses if attempting to apprehend them is a risk to their person, the officer, or the public,” police shared. “We would rely on information gathered at the scene as well as information provided to us by concerned citizens to identify suspects involved in such crimes that may ultimately result in criminal charges at a different.”
However, Winter said he saw a different outcome at the scene.
“The cops didn’t give chase to anybody,” he said while the crowd dispersed.
Winter said he believes the meetup was organized.
He is urging people to be cautious and considerate of other people’s safety, including during the holidays.
“You can find private property to rent or something like that to let your aggression out with a vehicle. You don’t need to do it on public roads,” he added.
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