Seattle crowd blocks police, jumps on car hours before shooting at illegal street race
At around 1:30 a.m. on July 23, 2023, police officers encountered an unruly crowd at an illegal street racing event. Hours later, four people were shot. (Credit: Seattle Police Department)
Seattle police released dashcam footage showing officers encounter a disorderly crowd at an illegal street race over the weekend hours before four people were shot.
The video shows police arriving at the intersection of Broadway and East Pike Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood at around 1:30 a.m. The Seattle Police Department said officers had responded to a report of a large crowd and vehicles driving recklessly.
"Initial attempts to disband the crowd were met with resistance," the SPD said. The video shows members of the crowd filming the approaching police cruiser on smartphones. Some made rude gestures toward the cops, while others began throwing things at their vehicle.
At one point, individuals from the crowd climbed on top of the hood of the police car. Someone spilled what appears to be a drink on the windshield.
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A police unit approaches a crowd gathered at an illegal street racing event in Seattle, WA. (Seattle Police Department)
Officers eventually backed the cruiser away from the crowd, at which point the video shows several people seting up obstacles to block the police from returning. One man repeatedly bashed a skateboard against the ground in a menacing manner, following the police as they retreated.
Police said the crowd had gathered for an illegal street racing event.
A crowd turns disorderly and begins to surround a police unit and jump on the vehicle's hood. (Seattle Police Department)
"They had started doing, you know, where they do donuts around people," said Herman Esau, a security guard who works nearby and spoke to FOX 13 Seattle.
Esau witnessed the crowd's behavior toward the police cruiser.
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A riotous crowd picks up road safety signs covered in graffiti and follows a police unit as it backs out of a street. (Seattle Police Department)
"The people that were in the group started throwing our barricades at them and causing damage to their police vehicle, so they withdrew." Esau said.
SPD said officers remained in the area to "respond to life-safety events."
Police in Seattle are searching for suspects after gunfire erupted at an illegal street-racing event early Sunday, wounding four. (Seattle Police Department)
Just before 4 a.m., officers who remained at the scene heard gunshots and found two victims at the intersection.
Police performed life-saving measures on both victims until paramedics arrived.
No arrests had been made, and no suspects had been identified, as of Monday morning. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)
One victim, in his late 20s, was treated at the scene and rushed to a hospital in stable condition. A woman, in her 20s or 30s, was treated for life-threatening injuries and rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
Another woman suffered a gunshot wound and spoke with officers several blocks away from the intersection before leaving the scene. She later arrived at a hospital for treatment.
A fourth victim, a male, also arrived at the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to police.
Investigators discovered shell casings at the crime scene but have not yet made an arrest.
The identities of the four victims have not been released.
Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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