Tacoma: Teens rebel against police curfew patrol

Tacoma police officer assaulted by teenagers at park

A Tacoma police officer was attacked by two teenagers late Wednesday after arresting a girl for trespassing at McKinley Park.

Several neighbors called police to complain about a group of loud teenagers just before 11 p.m. Two officers went to the park and found seven teens hanging out.

Police explained to the group that city parks close a half hour after dusk and that curfew is midnight, but a 15-year-old girl “just couldn’t let it go and she kept talking, saying she could do what she wanted,” police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

“Things went downhill from there,” Fulghum said.

An officer arrested the girl on suspicion of trespassing and led her to the patrol car. While they were gone, the girl’s sister swung at the female officer, who blocked the punch.

A 17-year-old boy then grabbed the officer’s legs and tried to drag her across the sidewalk while yelling for the girl to run. During the scuffle, both the boy and girl managed to escape.

A K-9 unit was brought in to track the teens but were unsuccessful. Police said they know who the suspects are but they were not home when officers went to speak with them.

The officer suffered minor scrapes during the incident.