Shocking videos have shown a US police officer driving their vehicle into a crowd, hitting several people and appearing to run a person over.
The incident occurred on Saturday night (local time) in Tacoma, Washington state as the police department attempted to control the crowd and traffic.
"There were multiple vehicles and approximately 100 people present blocking the intersection when officers arrived on the scene," the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement.
"Police officers responding to the location began clearing the intersection of vehicles and people for the safety of those gathered and people trying to use the street."
They said during the incident, a police car was surrounded by the crowd and people were hitting the body of the vehicle and its windows.
"The officer, fearing for his safety, tried to back up, but was unable to do so because of the crowd. The officer had his lights and sirens activated.
"While trying to extricate himself from an unsafe position, the officer drove forward."
Footage from the incident shows the vehicle ramming into several people, pushing them to the ground as screams ring out in the background.
One person appears to get trapped under the vehicle and the back tires run them over.
The police department said after the incident the officer stopped and called for medical aid.
One person was transported to hospital and their condition is unknown.
Interim Police Chief Mike Ake said in a statement he was concerned by the use of "deadly force".
“I send my thoughts to anyone who was injured in tonight’s event, and am committed to our Department’s full cooperation in the independent investigation and to assess the actions of the department’s response during the incident.”
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team have now launched an investigation.
